Lake Land College recently recognized members of its adjunct faculty for their years of service to the college. Pictured in the front row from left to right are: Delane Donaldson, Vera Keplar, Sharon Brown, Solomon Dzakuma, Terry Salem and Cheryl Stolz. In the second row, left to right are: Carolyn Stephens, Cheri Prahl, Holly Dust, Peggy Eddy, Jean Fearington, Cherie Huddleston and Harold Strangeman. In the third row, from left to right are: Lydia Hatfill, Sue Francis, Diana Glosser, Paula Diel, Michael Reynolds and Lara Orr. In the fourth row from left to right are: Sterling Waldem Scott Lensink, Andrew Fearn, John Cox, David Gallivan, Scott Gradle and Jered Zimmerle.

Lake Land College recently honored members of its adjunct faculty, recognizing their contributions to the college and their years of service.

“The adjunct instructors at Lake Land College dedicate much time and effort to their students,” said Toni Andres, director of adjunct faculty. “Because of additional instructors, the college can offer a wide range of courses at different times and locations throughout the district.”

Those members of the adjunct faculty were honored for their years of service to the college at the five, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 year level.

The Shelby County Health Department will be sponsoring a Well-Child Clinic Thursday afternoon, November 10th, for children birth through five years of age. Children who have no physician, or are having difficulty finding a physician to accept the medical card are given priority.

Dr. Virginia Dauz will be giving physical examinations. Also developmental screening and immunizations are offered.

Contact the Health Department at 774-9555 to schedule your child for an appointment. No walk in will be accepted. Please bring the child’s immunization record and public aid card. A sliding fee scale is available for clients without a medical card. A parent or guardian will need to be present to sign the consent for immunizations.

A former employee of the Christian County Clerk’s office has been charged by a special prosecutor with theft, obstructing justice, and records tampering.

According to a statement released by the office of Christian County Clerk Julie Mayer, the amount of money allegedly stolen comes from less than $4000. Mayer says she immediately requested an investigation as soon as irregularities in the bookkeeping records were noticed. 47-year-old Teresa Burdick is alleged to have committed the thefts staring in early 2010. In her statement, Julie Mayer said since she will be a witness in the case, she will be making no further public comments on the case.

Last week the Illinois Senate voted against the Tenaska Coal to gas plant. The plant would have meant hundreds of jobs in Central Illinois, and a possible revival of the coal industry. State Senator Kyle McCarter of Lebanon says the plant would have cost the area in other ways:

[audio:McCarteronTenaska1.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Senator said the plant would have ended up raising the cost of power, hurting Illinois economically:

[audio:McCarteronTenaska2.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Senator was an early supporter of the Tenaska project, and campaigned as a champion of the plan during the last election cycle. Proponents of Tenaska argued that with nearly half the state’s coal fired power plants scheduled to close because of environmental regulations, the plant would have added to the baseline power, actually encouraging lower electricity rates.

Becky Edwards, the new Executive Director of the Taylorville Mainstreet organization, is keeping busy in her first weeks of the job. Edwards says even though it’s Halloween today, they are already planning for Christmas:

At approximately 3:04AM the Logan County Sheriff’s Office responded to a fatal car accident. A Blue 2002 Jeep was traveling on IL 121 N/B approximately 695 Ft. south of 900 the Street. For an unknown reason the Jeep crossed over the yellow dividing line, across the southbound lane and entered the ditch on the west side of IL 121. The Jeep crossed back over the Southbound and Northbound Lanes of IL 121 entering the ditch on the eastbound side of the roadway. The Jeep hit the embankment with the front bumper causing the vehicle to flip end over end. The Jeep flipped end over end along the embankment for approximately 50 feet. The driver was ejected through the sun roof as the vehicle was flipping end over end. The 22-year old driver from Taylorville was pronounced dead at the scene by the Logan County Coroner’s Office.

Allen Craig hit a go-ahead solo homer in the third and scored twice as the Cardinals captured their 11th World Series title with a 6-2 win over the Rangers in Game Seven of the 107th Fall Classic. A night after hitting a walk-off solo homer, David Freese drilled a two-run double in the first for the Cards, who ended their improbable run to the championship by winning the final two games of the epic series. Yadier Molina had two hits and two RBI as the Redbirds claimed their first title since 2006. Chris Carpenter started on three days' rest and fired six-plus innings of two-run ball to earn his second win of the series.

Josh Hamilton and Michael Young each had RBI doubles in the first inning for Texas. Matt Harrison allowed three runs over only four innings to suffer his second loss of the series. The Rangers were within one strike of their first title in franchise history in Game Six twice, but they went on to lose in the World Series for the second straight year.

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman David Freese has been named the Most Valuable Player of the 107th World Series. Freese went 1-for-2 with a two-run double and a pair of walks in the series-clinching victory in Game Seven. Freese had a game-tying two-run triple in the ninth, and a walk-off solo home run in the 11th in Game Six Thursday. The 28-year-old St. Louis native also set the Major League Baseball record for RBI in a single postseason with 21. The Cardinals defeated the Texas Rangers, 6-2, to capture their 11th title in franchise history on Friday.

The Christian County Sheriff's Department recorded the following traffic accidents:

55 year old Michael J. Fleigle of Taylorville was traveling east on 2000 N. Rd. at about 1379 E. hauling a load of furniture. 31 year old Jennifer Wayman of Taylorville was traveling west in the same area. A floor lamp fell out of the trucks cargo area and fell in the roadway. Wayman attempted to avoid the lamp and lost control and drove off the north side of the roadway and into the ditch. Wayman vehicle came to rest when it crashed into trees. Wayman was taken to Taylorville Memorial Hospital and was treated fo minor injuries.

55 year old Linda J. Johnson of Nokomis was going north on County Hwy.#1 between township rd. 1000 north and twp. rd. 1100 north. A deer came into the roadway, and Johnson struck the deer with the front, left side of the vehicle causing damage to the vehicle. No injuries were reported.

66 year old Catherine M. Keen of Florida was east bound on township rd. 1700 north and was not familiar with the area and failed to negotiate the jog to the right in the road. Keen drove straight through the intersection and t-boned the ditch of 1500 east rd. Thge vehicle received major front end damage. Keen was transported from the scene by ambulance and was taken to St. John's Hospital in Springfield for minor injuries.

56 year old Diana L. Carnahan of Taylorville was traveling east on Burnett Blvd. and apparently had a seizure. The 1999 Hyundai Elantra she was driving traveled across the intersection, over the curb and down the embankment, striking the residence at 1125 Springfield Rd. The vehicle received damage to the front and passenger side. The residence sustained damage to the stairs, landscaping, siding, structure, statuary, guttering and garage door. Carnahan vehicle came to rest on the north side of the garage. Carnahan was taken to Taylorville Memorial Hospital for serious injuries.

37 year old Christian M. Gerlick of Blue Mound and passenger, 62 year old Marsha L. Norris of Mt. Auburn were going west on county #2, .4 of a mile west of township road 1350 east when a deer came into the roadway in front of the vehicle. Gerlick struck the deer, killing it, and causing damage to the vehicle. No injuries were reported.

This week CRIME STOPPERS is seeking information about a burglary that occurred in Taylorville.

Sometime between Monday October 11, 2011 and Wednesday October 13, 2011, person or persons unknown made entry into a residence located at 415 West Second Street in Taylorville. It is believed that a window was damaged to make entry. While inside the unknown subject or subjects took several items including: a 50” Samsung Flatscreen TV, an X-Box Kinect game system, and a Nintendo Wii. The total amount of items taken is unknown at this time.

Please call CRIME STOPPERS if you have any information about this crime or any other crimes or wanted persons. CRIME STOPPERS will pay cash rewards up to $1,000.00 for information that leads to an arrest and you DO NOT have to give your name. CRIME STOPPERS will pay double the normal reward for information leading to an arrest for the crime of the week.

You can contact CRIME STOPPERS at 824-9100, at our website ChristianCountyCrimeStoppers.org, or by texting CRIMES (274637) keyword CCCS and then your tip. As always you will remain anonymous.

Two vehicles sustained minor damage in an accident in Pana Tuesday. According to Pana police, 89-year-old Maxine E. Davis was pulling into a drive on Oak St. when she struck a vehicle belonging to Kathy D. Price of Pana. No injuries were reported.

Pana Police are investigating an apparent case of vandalism. According to reports, the damage occurred Saturday on W. 2nd St. Nathan D. Wisdom told police the back window of his 2003 Jeep was damaged. Wisdom said there was also damage to the black bumper of the vehicle.

If you’ve enjoyed the Farmer’s Market every Saturday in Downtown Taylorville this year, you should be aware: Saturday is the final one for this season. Market Manager Ed Downs says even though the market is ending, they’ll still have new items offered tomorrow:

[audio:farmersmktend102811.mp3]comment here[/audio]

There will also be tomatoes, beets, peppers, and lots more. The final Farmer’s Market for 2011 is tomorrow from 9AM until 1PM.

Pana Police reports an Assumption woman was arrested Monday on charges of retail theft after an incident at a Pana grocery store. 41-year-old Jenny Leshew was arrested, given a notice to appear in courter, and released.

A Pana resident told police a Swisher brand logsplitter was stolen from his residence on Beyers Avenue. The theft apparently occurred Tuesday or Wednesday.

Hillary Cole of Pana told police her cell phone was stolen last week from 811 E. 1st Street in Pana.

The Blackhawks hit the road this evening to square off against the Carolina Hurricanes at the RBC Center. The 'Hawks have won three of their last four games and are coming off a 3-2 shootout victory over Anaheim on Tuesday to improve to 5-1-and-2 on the season. Chicago opens up a brief two-game homestand on Saturday against the Columbus Blue Jackets at the United Center.

The Illinois Fighting Illini continue Big Ten play this weekend as they square off against the Penn State Nittany Lions in University Park on Saturday. The Illini have dropped back-to-back games after winning their first six games to start the season. They are coming off a 21-14 setback to Ohio State last weekend. Illinois beat Penn State, 33-13, last year.

In other local action, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish host Navy on Saturday afternoon. The Irish had a four-game winning streak snapped with a 31-17 loss to USC last weekend to fall to 4-and-3 on the season. ND suffered a historic 35-17 defeat to Navy last season. Meanwhile, the Northwestern Wildcats play at Indiana on Saturday. The 'Cats are 2-and-5 on the year.

David Freese clubbed a lead-off, walk-off solo homer in the bottom of the 11th inning to give the Cardinals a wild 10-9 win over the Rangers in Game Six of the World Series. Freese also hit a game-tying two-run triple with two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the ninth. Josh Hamilton hit a go-ahead two-run homer in the top of the 10th for Texas, but Lance Berkman laced a game-tying RBI single with two outs and two strikes in the bottom of the inning.

Berkman had three hits, four runs scored and three RBI for the Cards, who overcame three errors to capture one of the most dramatic wins in World Series history. Jake Westbrook tossed a scoreless 11th to earn the win. Adrian Beltre and Nelson Cruz hit back-to-back solo homers in the seventh for Texas, which was only a strike away from its first World Series title in franchise history twice. Mark Lowe allowed Freese's blast to take the loss. The decisive Game Seven in St. Louis will get underway at 8:05 p.m. Eastern this evening.

The St. Louis Cardinals will have Chris Carpenter on the mound tonight, but not Matt Holliday in the outfield. Manager Tony La Russa has named Carpenter his starter for tonight's deciding Game Seven of the World Series. The veteran right-hander will pitch on three days' rest for just the second time in his career. Holliday sprained his right wrist diving back to third base on a pickoff play during last night's Game Six. He's been replaced on the active roster by Adron Chambers. Major League Baseball approved the move under a rule that permits a World Series roster change if an injury is severe enough to warrant a trip to the disabled list during the regular season.

It's now a one-game, winner-take-all to decide the 2011 World Series. The Cardinals and Rangers will play a decisive Game Seven tonight at Busch Stadium after the Redbirds evened the best-of-seven set at three with a win last night. Thanks to Wednesday's rainout, Chris Carpenter could start tonight on short rest or Tony La Russa could go with Kyle Lohse [[ Lowsh ]].

Relay For Life of Christian County was awarded the American Cancer Society’s prestigious Relay All Star Award at the Society’s recent Relay Leadership Summit in Itasca, Ill. Event co-chairs Lisa Sims, Lynette Mellor, and Shelly Rexroad accepted the banner on behalf of cancer survivors, sponsors, teams, and relay participants who made the 2011 event a success. With the Relay All Star Award, the Illinois Division of the American Cancer Society honors Relay events that achieve significant fundraising and participant growth. This year, Relay For Life of Christian County raised more than $57,000 with approximately 310 participants. The 2012 event will be held June 29-30 at Taylorville High School.

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club met Tuesday at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital Auditorium. The program was presented by Dave Herpstreith, Taylorville Chief of Police. He has been with the department for 14 years. Currently there are 18 full time officers and 1 recruit in training. Training a new officer takes about a year according to the Chief. The department dispatch center employs 5 dispatchers. They handle about 1200 cases per month and cover the corporate limits of Taylorville. Cases range from major crimes to domestic disputes. Drugs continue to be an ongoing problem. The department also has a DARE program. One activity he is proud of is the Cops, Kids & Christmas which is funded totally by contributions. When asked about the K-9 Unit, Herpstreith said it had been called on 7 times in the last 3 weeks which resulted in 4 cases.

On Saturday October 29th Kiwanians will be assisting the TPD with a car seat safety check day.

Next week will be the monthly business meeting. Harold “Slick” Parrish will present “Six Decades of Taylorville Sports Memories” on November 8th.

An intentionally set fire at the Taylorville Country Club got out of control Tuesday night. According to reports, the fire was part of a training session for Taylorville Firefighters. The fire apparently raced quickly out of control, and the decision was made to let the building burn down. No one was injured.

The Mayor and City Council of Shelbyville, Downtown Redevelopment Committee, and Downtown Works Committee are giving notice that a public informational meeting will be held on November 7, from 6:00PM to 7:00PM at the Municipal Building (City Hall), 170 E. Main Street, for all interested persons in the proposed streetscape improvements to downtown Shelbyville.

The proposed improvements consist of modifications to sidewalks, mini-park area, and parking lots. Conceptual improvement displays, renderings, and other information are currently available in City Hall and will be available for review at the meeting. Comments and ideas are requested.

Taylorville Police report an accident Tuesday. Officers were called to the intersection of Pine St. and Park Avenue where Mildred P. Orellana of Taylorville told them her car had been struck by a vehicle driven by Janette Charlene Phillips of Bulpitt who allegedly backed out of a driveway into her path. No injuries were reported.

If you’re looking for something to do for Halloween this weekend, the Taylorville Mainstreet has an event for you. This Saturday, the Pumpkin Prowl takes place on the Downtown Taylorville Square. Mainstreet director Becky Edwards tells Regional Radio listeners the event will feature lots of activities:

[audio:pumpkinprowl102711.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Pumpkin Prowl takes place on the Taylorville Square Saturday from 3 to 6PM in Downtown Taylorville.

A plan for a Tenaska coal gasification plant to be built in Taylorville passed a Senate panel today but failed to gain enough votes in the full Senate. Taylorville Mayor Greg Brotherton says he believes the bill was blocked by other power plants who don't want competition.

Similar legislation has failed numerous times throughout the past three years. Proponents of the bill say the plant would create 25-hundred construction jobs and 150 permanent jobs. It was also expected to provide a cleaner way to burn Illinois coal.

The Loving Arms Crisis Pregnancy Center will host an Open House on Thursday, November 3, from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. The Center is located at 500 N. Walnut Street in Taylorville. The public is invited to come to tour the Center and learn more about this vital ministry. Refreshments will be provided.

Loving Arms Crisis Pregnancy Center is a non-profit organization whose mission is to bring compassionate help and hope to women, men, and teens who are unprepared for pregnancy; to present sexual abstinence as a positive lifestyle for singles; to provide opportunity for healing and restoration to those who have been hurt by abortion; and to present Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. All services are provided free of charge.

A bill that makes changes to the ComEd and Ameren proposal to raise electric rates is moving through the legislature. The Senate passed the measure Tuesday afternoon and Moline Senator Mike Jacobs says this proves that the legislature can work together on quote, "good legislation."

Highland Senator Kyle McCarter voted no on the proposal because he says it's just not a fair deal.

[audio:powerbill3102611.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle had to work out issues with costs to make sure consumers aren't taken advantage of in the process. Jacobs says the main goal is to create jobs and make sure customers' lights are restored as quickly as possible when there is an outage. The trailer bill now heads to the House for approval but before it can become law, lawmakers must first override Governor Quinn's veto of the original bill. Jacobs says he's confident the votes are there to override.

A bill that makes changes to the ComEd and Ameren proposal to raise electric rates is moving through the legislature. The Senate passed the measure Tuesday afternoon and Moline Senator Mike Jacobs says this proves that the legislature can work together on quote, "good legislation."

Highland Senator Kyle McCarter voted no on the proposal because he says it's just not a fair deal.

[audio:powerbill3102611.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle had to work out issues with costs to make sure consumers aren't taken advantage of in the process. Jacobs says the main goal is to create jobs and make sure customers' lights are restored as quickly as possible when there is an outage. The trailer bill now heads to the House for approval but before it can become law, lawmakers must first override Governor Quinn's veto of the original bill. Jacobs says he's confident the votes are there to override.

The Illinois Department of Transportation today reminded motorists that one of the most frightening things about Halloween is encountering an impaired driver. The message is simple…Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over! If your Halloween celebration includes alcohol, designate a sober driver to get you home safely. IDOT issued the reminder as it revealed data showing the role alcohol has played in traffic fatalities during the last seven years in Illinois.

During the last seven years in Illinois (2004-2010), 25 individuals lost their lives and 2,018 were injured in 7,723 motor vehicle crashes occurring during Halloween. Of the 25 fatalities, 11 (44%) occurred in crashes that involved an impaired driver. More recently, in the last three years, 12 people were killed in crashes on Halloween day with six of those deaths involving alcohol.

Taylorville police arrested two local men on battery charges. According to reports, officers were called to 227 E. Park St. Sunday. The suspects were found in the back yard of the residents. 54-year-old Ronal G. Barlow was reportedly arrested, along with an unnamed suspect.

Police issued a citation to a Taylorville woman for passing a stopped school bus. According to reports, Beck Bus driver Janis Baird told officers about a woman who had passed the bus while students were getting on. 23-year-old Amber Mann of Taylorville reportedly admitted to passing the bus and was issued a citation.

Taylorville police made a couple arrests early Tuesday morning near the intersection of Clay and Spresser Streets. According to reports, officers noticed a vehicle driving without headlights. The driver of the car, 19-year-old Aron W. Rymes of Taylorville was arrested on charges of driving while license suspended and illegal possession and consumption of alcohol by a minor. Rymes’ passenger, 18-year-old Casey Conaway of Taylorville was charged with illegal possession and consumption of alcohol by a minor and for possession of drug paraphernalia.

A local woman was arrested last Saturday after police were summoned to deal with a disturbance at 716 E. Poplar St. in Taylorville. According to police reports, officers saw 22-year–old Lacey M. Myers hiding in a bush at the scene. She reported fled on foot but was detained after a brief chase. Myers was reportedly charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and also arrested on a warrant out of Effingham County.

Drug and alcohol abuse is the cause of a large number of crimes in Central Illinois. Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp says the majority of those incarcerated can trace their problems back to dope and booze:

[audio:sherrifdrugs102611.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The Sheriff says not only that people are arrested on drug or alcohol charges, but related offenses as well:

[audio:sherrifdrugs2102611.mp3]comment here[/audio]

With the holiday season coming up, the Sheriff is reminding everyone that substance abuse and driving don’t mix. Police agencies across the country will beef up patrols in an attempt to combat the problem.

Lincoln Land Community College in Taylorville recently expanded its campus, and Scott Stallman, Executive Director for Taylorville, Litchfield, and Hillsboro, says they are also expanding the curriculum:

[audio:stallmannewofferings102611.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Stallman says now is the time to register for Spring classes. Call Lincoln Land Community College in Taylorville at 287-7081.

Tonight's scheduled Game Six of the World Series at Busch Stadium in St. Louis has been postponed due to rain. The game will be made up Thursday night at 8:05 p.m. Eastern. Jaime [[ HIGH-may ]] Garcia of the Cardinals and Colby Lewis of the Rangers are still slated to be the Game Six starting pitchers. Texas leads the best-of-seven series three-games-to-two. If St. Louis wins Thursday, the Cardinals will host a deciding Game Seven Friday night at 8:05 p.m. Eastern.

Some agencies are still waiting on disaster payments from this February's blizzard. Patti Thompson, with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, says the storm resulted in the largest processing of payments her agency has ever seen.

[audio:blizzard1102511.mp3]comment here[/audio]

IEMA officials says many of the FEMA payments did not come through to the state until mid-summer and their offices have been processing 40 a day since that time. State officials say all validated claims that the state received have been processed even though numerous local units of government haven't received payments.

[audio:blizzard2102511.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Pete Sherman, Director of Communications for Springfield Public School System, says his school district just received their check last week but the delay did not cause any budgetary issues.

[audio:blizzard3102511.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Patti Thompson, with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, says other disasters may have contributed to the delayed processing of payments.

Farm land sales are still going strong in Western Illinois. Dale Jones says the land he auctioned off over the weekend sold for more than the average cost of land.

[audio:farmland102511.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The average cost per acre in Illinois is 58-hundred dollars. Jones says the auction brought out bidders from at least three surrounding states, including Iowa and Missouri. The property is located three miles west of Aledo. The four tracts totaled around 470 acres.

It’s that time of the year again! The Shelbyville Rotary Halloween Costume Judging Contest will be Friday, October 28th at 5pm in the Courthouse Parking Lot. Kids, dress up in your best Halloween Costume for a chance to win cash prizes! Grand prize is a $100 WalMart gift card! Enjoy a free movie - Monster House on Saturday, 10AM and all participants in the costume judging will receive a Roxy Certificate for a FREE pop or popcorn! There will be no parade this year but, following the judging contest at 6pm the 4th Annual Downtown Shelbyville Candy Run will take place. Don’t miss out on all the fun at the Shelbyville Rotary Halloween Costume Judging Contest on Friday, October 28th at 5pm in the Courthouse Parking Lot. If it rains judging will take place at the Main Street School Gym. See you there!

All fifth graders in Christian County were invited to attend the 3rd annual Progressive Agricultural Farm Safety Day at the fairgrounds. The Sept. 23 event allowed students to become familiar with proper farm safety instructions through many hands-on activities.

Ann Lupton, Ag literacy program coordinator at the University of Illinois extension office and Ag in the Classroom, was the primary organizer for the event.

The Monsanto Stonington facility was one local organization that volunteered and was responsible for the hearing protection and conservation station. Bill Cope, seed operations supervisor at the Monsanto Stonington facility, used a large-scale model of an ear, a large chart that showed all the components of an ear, and an audio dummy named “Elvis,” which had an audiometer for measuring decibels.

A dozen Central Illinois residents were indicted last week on various criminal charges. Included is Taylorville resident Dennis Adams, who was indicted on charges of attempted 1st degree murder after an incident this past summer. Police say Adams shot his wife three times with a .22 caliber pistol during a domestic violence incident on August 19th. Jolene Adams was hospitalized but survived the alleged attack.

Charges against others include burglary, possession of stolen propter, forgery, trespassing, and possession of a controlled substance.

Additionally, Donald Riggs of Shelbyville was charged with aggravated battery after he allegedly spit on a police officer on October 13.

The proposed Tenaska coal to natural gas facility will come up for a vote again this week during the Illinois legislature’s Fall veto session. The project would mean hundreds of jobs for Christian County. But there are powerful forces working against Tenaska. Taylorville Mayor Greg Brotherton says he hopes the legislators have a clear picture of the issues at stake.

[audio:MayorbroTenaska102511.mp3]comment here[/audio]

The project came up for a vote in the legislature last year, passing the House but falling five votes short in the Senate. The Mayor made those comments on the Monday edition of “The WTIM Open Line”.

The bill allowing Tenaska to build a multi-million dollar coal gasification plant northeast of Taylorville, passed the Illinois Senate Executive Committee Tuesday afternoon, by a vote of 8 to 5 with one absention.

The bill now goes to the full Illinois Senate, where a vote is expected Wednesday. The bill, Senate Bill 678, is sponsored by Senate president John Cullerton.

Officials with Tenaska are hopefully optimistic that the Illinois General Assembly will grant them permission to build the plant, that will add to the state’s base-line electric generating capacity and provide hundreds of construction and permanent jobs.

Vera Cruz Mexican Restaurant in Taylorville reopened last week and is boasting new ownership, new management and a new and improved menu. New owner, Ezequiel Camacho has 10 years experience in the management and ownership of restaurants. He presently owns a Mexican Restaurant in Chesterfield, Missouri. In his 3 years of ownership, his restaurant has been chosen twice as the number 1 Mexican restaurant in Chesterfield. He is bringing that same quality to Taylorville.

Mr. Camacho prides himself on the great service you will receive from the minute you walk in to your departure. His extensive menu features a much larger selection of truly authentic Mexican dishes prepared with only fresh ingredients and all meat selections are marinated. And here’s a twist, don’t see your favorite on the menu, just tell your server and the staff at Vera Cruz will prepare it for you on the spot.

Vera Cruz will initially employ approximately 8 local people with more to come as the business expands. Mr. Camacho plans on putting in a patio and paving the lot as 2 of his next projects, after the already remodeled interior.

Stop in and try the authentic Mole’, tacos al pastor and milaenesa at Vera Cruz. Mr. Camacho challenges you to find a better Mexican dinner and better service experience.

Sealed bids were opened last night at the regular monthly meeting of the Taylorville Park District. The bids were for the sale of equipment from the Lake Shore Golf Course. Dan Coker was the winning bidder on the John Deere tractor with a bid of $750. Mark Releford’s bid of $500 was the high bid for the Cushman Truckster and Tim Wicker bid $200 each for the 1999 and 2000 Toro fairway mowers.

In other business, the district revised the pool rates for the upcoming 2012 season by doing away with the in-district/out-of-district rates and went to a much simpler fee schedule. Children 4 and under are free while anyone 5 and over will pay only $3. Also, a bid was accepted from Dunn Company in the amount of $5742 for repair of the walking path at the Don Bragg Sports Complex. The bid was for the sealing of cracks in the path.

It was also reported that the Historical Society Courthouse has been scraped down completely and painting is to begin immediately. Weather permitting the project should be complete by the end of this week. The Christmas Home Tour will once again have a stop at the park with a tea to be served both December 2nd and 3rd at the park dining hall.

A couple of items tabled until the next fiscal year included surveillance cameras outside the restrooms behind the park office and the construction of a sidewalk from Jayne’s Park to the parking lot at the Don Bragg Sports Complex.

The park district will meet next on November 8, 2011 to interview to possible candidates to fill the vacant trustee positions.

Mike Napoli's go-ahead two-run double in the bottom of the eighth lifted the Rangers to a 4-2 win over the Cardinals in the pivotal Game Five of the World Series. Mitch Moreland and Adrian Beltre hit solo homers for Texas, which erased an early 2-0 deficit to take a three-games-to-two lead in the best-of-seven series. The Rangers are a win away from their first World Series title in franchise history. Darren Oliver tossed a perfect inning of relief to get the win. Neftali Feliz closed things out to earn his second save of the series.

Yadier Molina went 3-for-4 with an RBI for St. Louis, which scored both of its runs in the second inning. Chris Carpenter tossed seven innings of two-run ball in a no-decision. Octavio Dotel was charged with the loss. St. Louis stranded 12 men on base in the loss. The Cardinals will try to push the series to the limit when they host Game Six at 8:05 p.m. Eastern Wednesday evening. The Cardinals are slated to start Jaime Garcia on the mound Wednesday. The Rangers are scheduled to counter with Colby Lewis.

After three games in Texas, the World Series shifts back to St. Louis for Game Six tomorrow night at Busch Stadium. Jaime Garcia is slated to oppose Colby Lewis in a rematch of Game Two. That's when the Rangers scored twice in the ninth off Jason Motte to pull out a 2-1 win and even the series at a game apiece. If necessary, the Cards host Game Seven on Thursday.

The Chicago Blackhawks are back on the ice this evening as they wrap up a brief two-game homestand against the Anaheim Ducks at the United Center. The 'Hawks had a two-game winning streak snapped with a 5-4 shootout loss to Colorado on Saturday to fall to 4-1-and-2 on the season. Chicago squares off against the Carolina Hurricanes on Friday evening at the RBC Center.

At right, Randy Miller of Taylorville received the Lake Land College Foundation’s Crystal Swan Award. This annual award is presented to a Foundation board member for commitment and outstanding contributions to the Foundation. Miller is a Lake Land College alum and owner of Miller Media Group. He is pictured here with Pam Crisman, chief executive officer of the Lake Land College Foundation and vice president of development at the college.

The Lake Land College Foundation Board of Directors celebrated surpassing five million dollars in total assets and made plans to reach six million dollars during the coming year at its annual meeting held recently.

At the meeting, board members kicked-off the yearly fund drive. In its 41st year, the Lake Land College Foundation set an annual fund drive goal of $200,000 and a $100,000 endowment goal, which if met, would bring the Foundation’s total assets to $6 million.

During the past year, the Foundation’s assets grew from $4.7 million to $5.7, according to the audit presented at the meeting.

Additionally at the annual Foundation meeting, board member Randy Miller, Taylorville, received the Foundation’s Crystal Swan Award. This award recognizes his contributions to the Foundation. Miller, a Lake Land College alum, continues to support the Foundation and Lake Land College students with the Miller Media Group Endowment. He also acts as the Alumni Association liaison to the Foundation.

The 3rd annual youth deer hunt held at Lake Shelbyville hosted ten youths for the special 2 day youth Illinois gun season. The event, which is held annually on Columbus Day weekend, was sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Lakes Volunteer Association. All youths and their parent/guardian stayed at the Okaw Bluff group houses and experienced a deer camp atmosphere complete with wiener roasts, campfires, and plenty of tall tales. Over the weekend seven of the ten youths killed a deer for a 70% success rate, the best success rate to date. A 10-point buck and six antlerless deer made up the harvest. All ten participants saw and had shot opportunities at deer. For information on next year’s hunt or if you are interested in volunteering for the youth or disabled deer hunt held the first shotgun season each year contact the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Park Ranger Brock Key at (217)-774-3951 Ext. 7008 or jonathon.b.key@us.army.mil.

On Saturday, October 29, 2011 the National Drug Take Back Program will again be held across the country. The Taylorville Police Department will accept expired and unused medication without question or without asking your name. Syringes will NOT be accepted. The official time is from 10:00AM until 2:00PM, however, if you are unable to drop off during this time they will still accept your medication throughout the week and over the weekend.

During the same time the Taylorville Police Department and the Taylorville Fire Department will be assist the Taylorville Kiwanis Club as they host the second annual Child safety Seat Check. This event will be held at the Taylorville Fire Department which will allow it to be held rain or shine. During this event those wishing to dispose of expired or unused medication can drive through dispose of the medication in drop boxes.

Additionally, there will be two other locations in Christian count for the Drug Take Back Program, the Christian County Sheriff’s Office will host a location at the Edinburg Police Department and the Pana Police Department will host a location at the Pana High School during the Children’s Health and Safety Fair.

In an effort to bring more information to people, particularly Senior Citizens, the organization Triad was formed. Triad volunteer Mac McGwire says they meet with various authorities on a regular basis, including the FBI:

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McGwire made those comments on a recent edition of “Inside Central Illinois,” heard weekday afternoons from 2 to 3PM on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM.

Many Christian County residents have fallen prey to scrap metal thefts. The rising cost of metal has made it an attractive target, but County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp says such incidents have been curtailed, at least for the time being:

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The Sheriff made those comments on a recent edition of the WTIM Open Line.

The Cardinals were shut out 4-0 in Game Four of the World Series by the Texas Rangers last night. Derek Holland held St. Louis to just two hits over eight-and-a-third innings, including an 0-for-4 night for Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols. The best-of-seven series is now even at 2-2 heading into tonight's Game Five.

The World Series shifts to Game Five tonight in Arlington, Texas with both the Cardinals and Rangers looking to take a 3-2 series lead. The Cards turn to ace Chris Carpenter on the mound tonight, while the Rangers counter with C.J. Wilson. Carpenter's 2011 postseason numbers are considerably better, with a 3.52 ERA in 23 innings pitched this October compared to Wilson's 7.17 ERA in 21 innings of postseason work. Game Six is Wednesday in St. Louis.

Joakim Lindstrom scored the only goal of the shootout as the Avalanche slipped past the Blackhawks, 5-4 on Saturday. Michael Frolis, Jonathan Toews, Jamal Mayers and Marian Hossa had the goals for Chicago, which had won its previous two games. The Blackhawks are back in action Tuesday night when they host the Anaheim Ducks.

Albert Pujols hit three home runs and drove in six runs to help St. Louis defeat Texas, 16-7, in Game Three of the World Series. Babe Ruth, in 1926 and 1928, and Reggie Jackson in 1977, are the only other players in World Series history to have three homers in a game. Yadier Molina provided four RBI for the Cardinals, who took a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven series. Allen Craig lifted a solo shot in the win. Lance Lynn was credited with the win after tossing two-and-a-third innings of one-run ball in relief. Nelson Cruz blasted a two-run home run, while Michael Young chipped in with a solo homer for the Rangers. Starter Matt Harrison suffered the loss, allowing five runs, three earned, in three-and-tow-thirds frames. Game Four is scheduled for 8:05 p.m. Eastern tonight in Arlington.

Joakim Lindstrom scored the only goal of the shootout as the Avalanche slipped past the Blackhawks, 5-4. Gabriel Landeskog's second goal of the night with less than two minutes left in the third period tied it up for Colorado, which improved to 6-2-and-0. Paul Stastny and David Jones also lit the lamp, while Semyon Varlamov stopped 34 shots in the victory. Michael Frolik, Jonathan Toews, Jamal Mayers and Marian Hossa had the goals for Chicago, which had won its previous two. Corey Crawford made 20 saves in the setback.

Purdue scored 21 points in the first half and held on for a 21-14 win over 23rd-ranked Illinois. Caleb TerBush passed for 178 yards and two touchdowns for the Boilermakers, who have won two-of-three to improve to 4-and-3 on the year. Raheem Mostert had a 21-yard touchdown run in the victory. Nate Scheelhaase threw for 217 yards and ran in for a score for the Illini, who have dropped two straight to fall to 6-and-2. Jason Ford had 10 grabs for 83 yards and a score in the loss. Purdue has won six of the last seven meetings between the Big Ten foes.

Matt D'Agostini scored with just over a minute left in overtime to lift the Blues to a 3-2 win over the Hurricanes. Jason Arnott and David Backes each scored in the second period for St. Louis, which overcame a 2-0 deficit to snap its two-game losing streak. Brian Elliott stopped 27 shots in the victory. Jay Harrison and Brandon Sutter had the goals for Carolina, which had won its previous three games. Cam Ward allowed all three goals on 43 shots in the setback.

The 2011 World Series is now a best-of-five after the St. Louis Cardinals and Texas Rangers split the first two games at Busch Stadium. After dropping the series opener 3-2 on Wednesday, the Rangers evened the best-of-seven matchup at a game apiece with a 2-1 win in Game Two on Thursday. Texas tallied twice in the ninth inning to rally for a 2-1 win. The series now shifts to Rangers Ballpark in Arlington for the next three games, with Game Three Saturday night at 8:05 p.m. Eastern.

Matt Harrison is slated to take the ball for Texas, while St. Louis counters with Kyle Lohse. Pitching has dominated the series thus far, with neither team recording more than six hits in a game and just eight combined runs over the first two contests. Offense could be more of a factor over the next three games in more hitter-friendly Rangers Ballpark and warmer weather in Texas. The Rangers will host Game Four on Sunday and Game Five Monday before the series shifts back to St. Louis for the potential final two games.

On October 12, 2011 38 year old Victor B. Coney of Decatur was traveling southbound on IL. Rt. 48 in his 2006 International Harvestor tractor, when a deer crossed the road from the east to the west. Coney was unable to avoid hitting the deer. Christian County Sheriff Deputy James McWard observed front end damage to the tractor. No injuries were reported.

Pana Police are investigating a theft at 200 N. Pine St. Opal June Miller told authorities someone broke the lock on an outbuilding and stole a saw and some fishing equipment. Miller said the crime took place sometime over the past few days. She also told police several items were strewn around the yard.

Pana Police Department reports 3 arrest for theft. 19 year old David W. Moore Jr. of Pana, 21 year old Rex P.E. Allen of Pana and a 17 year old female were arrested for allegedly taking a pair of car axles from John J. Gruber of Pana. The trip reportedly sold the axles to Joe's Salvage for scrap. They were arrested, processed, and released with a notice to appear. The info was forwarded to the States Attorney's office. The 17 year old female was also reportedly in possession of drug paraphernalia.

The Taylorville Police Department reported a couple of arrests. 18 year old Erica R. Kettelkamp of Taylorville was arrested Tuesday on two counts of retail theft after an incident at the Taylorville Walmart store. She was processed and released with a notice to appear. The items reported stolen were apparently returned to the store.

Dirk Nowitzki is going to throw out the first pitch at Game Three of the World Series after all. An MLB spokesperson says Nowitzki was first invited to throw out tomorrow night's first pitch on Wednesday. Earlier that day, it was reported that MLB told the Texas Rangers Nowitzki wouldn't be allowed to because of the NBA lockout. That started an Internet uproar in the Metroplex, with fans telling MLB they should let the Dallas Mavericks star throw out the first ball. Nowitzki is a Rangers fan and has been seen at several Rangers games, including ALCS Game Six.

The Rangers scored twice in the top of the ninth inning to rally for a 2-1 win over the Cardinals in Game Two of the World Series. Josh Hamilton plated the tying run with a sac-fly, and Michael Young followed with a sac-fly of his own that put Texas ahead. The Rangers evened the best-of-seven series at a game apiece with the victory. Mike Adams tossed a scoreless eighth to get the win. Neftali Feliz worked around a lead-off walk to earn the save.

Allen Craig laced a pinch-hit RBI single in the seventh inning for St. Louis. Jason Motte allowed two hits and was charged for both runs in the ninth to take the loss. Motte failed to record an out. Jaime Garcia tossed seven shutout innings for the Redbirds in a no-decision. The teams have a travel day today as the series shifts to Texas for Game Three tomorrow night.

The Chicago Cubs are reportedly set to name Theo Epstein as the team's president of baseball operations. ESPNChicago is reporting the Cubs and Red Sox are close to an agreement on compensation and a press conference is expected today. San Diego Padres general manager Jed Hoyer could become the Cubs' next GM soon after the announcement of Epstein joining the Cubs. Hoyer worked with Epstein as assistant general manager while in Boston.

The 21st-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini and Notre Dame Fighting Irish are both back in action this weekend. The Illini, who are coming off a 17-7 setback to Ohio State last weekend to dip to 6-and-1 overall and 2-and-1 in Big Ten play, square off against Purdue in West Lafayette on Saturday afternoon. Meanwhile, the Irish host the USC Trojans on Saturday evening in South Bend. ND had a bye last week. They have won four straight games after dropping two in-a-row to start the season. Notre Dame beat Air Force, 59-33, in its last contest on October 8th to improve to 4-and-2.

In other local action, the Northwestern Wildcats host Penn State on Saturday evening. The 'Cats lost to Iowa, 41-31, last weekend to fall to 2-and-4 overall and 0-and-3 in conference play.

According to the Christian County Sheriff’s Office, 63 year old Robert W. Johnson of Farmersville was turning right onto Rt. 104, when he struck a utility pole at the corner of Rt. 104 and County Rd. #5. Johnson did not stop when the pole was struck. Pawnee Police Department later stopped the truck driven by Johnson at Divernon & Interstate 55. No injuries were reported.

As a result of an ongoing, cooperative investigation between the Taylorville Police Department, Christian Count Sheriff’s Office, and Montgomery County Sheriff’s, 30 year old Floyd Eric Garrison of Harvel was charged with Robbery and Burglary through the Christian County State’s Attorney’s Office.

These charges stem from an incident on Thursday June 9, 2011 when just before 5:00 AM, officers from the Taylorville Police Department and the Christian County Sheriff’s Office responded to an alarm at the Mach One gas station, 1224 W. Springfield Road, in Taylorville. A white male pointed what appeared to be a pistol at the attendant, and demanded money. The suspect fled with approximately $650.

Garrison is presently in custody at the Christian County Correctional Center.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month and Pana Community Hospital is hosting a special luncheon on Wednesday, October 26th. Dr. Benjamin Esparaz of Cancer Care Specialists of Central Illinois will give a presentation entitled: “Nutritional Supplements & Cancer Treatment Facts and Fallacies” followed by a question and answer period. The presentation will begin at 11:00 am.

Lunch will be provided by Pana Community Hospital immediately following the presentation. Reservations are not required. There will also be door prizes as well as a special educational display with information on the hospital’s new digital mammography machine. Mammography staff will be available to answer any questions.

Pana Community Hospital hosts monthly educational luncheons titled “Better Breathers”. The meetings are open to the public and meets on the last Monday of the month. This special presentation will be in lieu of the regular monthly meeting which will resume to the regular time in November.

Pana Community Hospital is committed to be a leading partner in assuring community-based quality healthcare. Anyone needing more information on the luncheons may call Pana Community Hospital at 562-2131.

Palmer Bank held its Annual Customer Appreciation Day Luncheon on Wednesday, October 19 from 11-2. The event is usually held outside in a tent, but due to rain it was held inside this year in the bank basement. Palmer Bank Market President Kent Richardson explains

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Palmer Bank has been at their new location since August of 2010. Market President Kent Richardson says things are going good, their customer base has grown and their location is perfect.

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Richardson adds that all the food for today’s luncheon was purchased from local businesses

Governor Pat Quinn and the Illinois Department of Insurance announce free, one-on-one counseling services in Shelbyville to help educate Medicare-eligible individuals and their caregivers about available insurance options. The Department’s Senior Health Insurance Program (SHIP) is conducting a series of counseling sessions statewide to assist Medicare-eligible individuals with the Medicare open enrollment season, which runs earlier than past years from October 15th through December 7th.

Governor Quinn recently proclaimed the week of October 10-15 as SHIP Week to recognize the program’s hundreds of volunteers and remind Medicare-eligible residents that open enrollment begins sooner this year.

Pre-registration for appointments is required by calling Community Care Systems at (217) 774-7885. SHIP volunteers are also available year-round to answer Medicare questions. For a list of SHIP volunteers in your area please visit the SHIP website at http://insurance.Illinois.gov/SHIP or call SHIP toll-free at (800) 548-9034.

Studies show that an alarming number of children’s car seats are not installed properly. If you’re wondering if your car seats are set up safely, you can attend a Child Safety Seat Check on Saturday Oct. 29 at the Taylorville Fire Department. The event, which is free, is being sponsored once again by the Taylorville Kiwanis Club. Certified technicians from the Taylorville Police and Fire Departments will be on hand to inspect the car seats.

That same day, you can drop off expired or unused drugs at the Fire Department during the “National Drug Take Back Day”. Again, that event takes place Saturday Oct. 29th from 10 AM to 2Pm at the Taylorville Fire Department.

Help out a good cause and have fun October 30 from 1:00-4:00PM, at the Mattoon American Legion Post, 1903 Maple. That’s the site for a Wine Tasting and Bazaar sponsored by the 19th District American Legion Auxiliary. Proceeds from the fund raiser will go to the American Legion Auxiliary’s Nurses Scholarships. Last year over thirty $1,000 scholarships were awarded, we hope to be able to award more this year.

Come enjoy wine sampling with choice of purchase from the several area vineyards. A number of local vendors will be on hand as well, offering gifts, baked goods, meat products, and more. Sandwiches and sides will be available for purchase. Admission is 5$ per person. You must be 21 to enter wine area.

Even though Halloween is still over a week away, work in Shelbyville is already underway with an eye to the Christmas season. Tad Mayhall of the Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce says lights are going up at Forest Park in Shelbyville for the upcoming Festival of Lights:

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The Shelbyville Festival of lights is a long time tradition in Shelbyville. If you’d like to help out, just show up at Forest Park in Shelbyville Saturday mornings at 9:00. If you have questions you can contact the Chamber at 774-2221, check their website at shebyvillechamberofcommerce.com, or stop by the Chamber offices at 124 N. Morgan anytime during business hours.

As autumn weather settles in to Central Illinois, thoughts begin to turn to Thanksgiving type food. Anne Lupton, Ag Literacy Coordinator for the University of Illinois Extension Christian Count, says there’s a great pumpkin pie recipe that kids can make:

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Lupton made those comments earlier this week on “Inside Central Illinois”. Call the Extension office at 287-7246 if you have questions.

The Cardinals took Game One of the World Series with a 3-2 victory over the Texas Rangers last night at Busch Stadium. Lance Berkman put St. Louis ahead with a two-run single in the fourth against Rangers starter C.J. Wilson. Mike Napoli tied the game with a two-run homer off Chris Carpenter in the fifth, but that was the only blemish over six solid innings for the Cardinals starter. Allen Craig drove in the go-ahead run with a pinch-hit single in the bottom of the sixth.

The Cardinals turn to Jaime Garcia as their starting pitcher for Game Two of the World Series tonight at Busch Stadium. The Texas Rangers counter with right-hander Colby Lewis. The Cardinals took a 1-0 series lead last night and may have history on their side. The World Series Game One winner has gone on to win seven of the last eight titles and 12 of the last 14.

Staff members of the Texas Rangers are not being linked to a dead body found in their St. Louis hotel. A housekeeper discovered the body of a dead woman bound and gagged in a sixth floor bathroom of a Holiday Inn this afternoon. Police say there is no connection between the victim and the Rangers' personnel, who are in town for the World Series.

Tower climber Brian Baker installs the new FM repeater antenna that will simulcast WEIC newstalk 1270 AM's programming at 107.5 FM. Additional parts are coming before the new FM signal can go on the air.

(Charleston)--The new owners of WEIC 1270 AM radio in Charleston, will sign on their new newstalk format at 6am tomorrow morning.

The Miller Media Group's Kaskaskia Broadcasting, Inc., took possession of the station on October 7, and immediately took the station off the air while new transmitting and programming equipment has been installed.

The antenna for WEIC's new FM repeater at 107.5 FM, was installed on Monday of this week, but additional parts for the system won't arrive for another couple of weeks, so the FM signal won't be on at the start of WEIC's new newstalk format.

WEIC's local programming will also be streamed live and archived, on the station's on-line daily newspaper, Eidailynews.com.

WEIC's new newstalk format will feature a live and local morning show including local guests, weekday mornings from 6 til 10. WEIC will also feature over 6 hours a day of agriculture programming, including from 6 to 7 weekday mornings, 10am to 3pm weekdays, and 8 to 9:30am Saturdays.

WEIC invites Eastern Illinois radio listeners to turn on the new format starting Wednesday morning at 6am.

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club met Tuesday at Taylorville Memoiral Hospital's auditorium. The program was presented by Jodi Heberling, President of the Christian County Historical Society. Their Annual Persimmon Days will be November 12th & 13th this year from 11:00 to 3:00 each day. The persimmon is a unique fruit. They will have pulp for sale and recipes will be available. This is one of the fund raisers they do each year. She stressed the importance of volunteers to the success of the museum. They rely on donations and memberships for financial support.

The clubs Annual Coats For Kids Day will be held Tuesday October 25th. On Saturday October 29th they will be assisting the TPD with a car seat safety day.

Next weeks program will be presented by Erica Borggren, Director of Illinois Department of Veterans Administration.

“Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.”

On October 16, eighteen year old Aaron M. Shartzer of Pana was traveling south on 2625 E. Rd., and went around the curve to the east of Twp. Rd. 200 North and slid off the edge of the road, with the vehicle coming to rest on its side approximately 30 feet from the south edge of Twp. Rd. 200 North. Shartzer passengers were 18 year old Alex M. Hilton and 18 year old Adam W. Shartzer both of Pana. No injuries were reported.

The Christian County Sr. Citizen’s Center is planning a Community Appreciation event featuring a free lunch this Friday, October 21. The event will take place from noon to 1PM at the Senior Center at the corner of Adams and Shumway in Taylorville. Hamburgers and hotdogs with all the fixings will be offered. You are asked to call the Senior Center if you’d like to attend. The number is 824-4263. The address is 701 W. Adams in Taylorville.

Regional Radio has introduced groovy 93.5, Christian Count’s Oldies Station. At a kick off ceremony this week, Regional Radio Owner and President Randall J. Miller welcomed several dignitaries to the groovy studios. Among the guests was Blaine Cornwell of the First National Bank in Taylorville, who helped work out the financing necessary to make groovy a reality:

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Jared Beckham, also from First Nation Bank in Taylorville, said the decision to finance the new signal was easy:

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Groovy 93.5 FM plays music from 1967 through 1985, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

On October 17, 37 year old Gary L. Craft of Decatur was south bound on 1530 E. Rd., and lost control of his truck, causing it to flip and injuring passenger 19 year old Stephanie J. Ashlock of Taylorville who was treated at the hospital.The other passenger was 23 year old Jon R. Williams of Moweaqua. Craft left the scene of the accident, was located the next day and stated he did not report the accident. Craft and his passengers were not wearing seatbelts. Minor injuries were reported. Craft was issued three citations.

More and more police agencies say prescription drug abuse is becoming a huge problem, and citizens are urged to keep a close watch on their medicine cabinets. Christian County Sheriff Bruce Kettelkamp says there will be an event later this month that will allow people to safely dispose of their old prescriptions:

Only in Wrigleyville could a team get away with making a big time announcement during an off-day of the World Series, despite the league's traditional ban on doing so. According to sources close to the situation, the Cubs may be able to announce the hiring of their new baseball executive. Talks between the Boston Red Sox and Northsiders regarding compensation for general manager Theo Epstein have dragged out more than a week, which has created this dilema. "Sports Illustrated" reports Epstein will likely assume the title of Chicago's president of baseball operations and the Cubs would bring in San Diego Padres general manager Jed Hoyer to fill the same position in the Windy City. Two years ago on a travel day during the World Series, a news conference was held to announce that the Ricketts family had acquired the Cubs from Tribune Co.

The Texas Rangers have made two changes to their World Series roster. Texas has added catcher Matt Treanor and pitcher Mark Lowe in place of pitchers Yoshinori Tateyama and Koji Uehara. Treanor did not appear in a game of the ALDS against Tampa Bay and was left off the ALCS roster in favor of Tateyama, who pitched just two-thirds of an inning against Detroit. Uehara allowed five runs in an inning-and-a-third this postseason. Lowe was 2-and-3 with a 3.80 ERA in 52 appearances during the regular season. The St. Louis Cardinals host Game One of the World Series tonight at Busch Stadium.

Miller Media Group President Randall J. Miller and a host of dignitaries were on hand Monday for the ribbon-cutting for the latest addition to the Regional Radio Group. Groovy 93.5 is presented as “Christian County’s Oldies Satiation.” Taylorville Mayor Greg Brotherton said he’s looking forward to listening.

The Illinois Fighting Illini are on the road Saturday afternoon as they take on the Purdue Boilermakers. Illinois suffered its first loss of the season on Saturday, falling 17-7 at home to Ohio State. The Illini came into the game a perfect 6-and-0, but dropped to 21st in the Coaches Poll after the loss to the Buckeyes. Illinois is 23rd in the BCS. The Boilermakers are 3-and-3 overall.

The Cardinals are gearing up for another Fall Classic. The Redbirds host the Texas Rangers tomorrow night in Game One of the World Series at Busch Stadium. Chris Carpenter is slated to oppose C.J. Wilson. The Cards beat the Brewers on Sunday to claim their 18th National League pennant and first since 2006. Texas is in the World Series for the second straight year.

The Chicago Blackhawks are back on the ice this evening as they open up a brief two-game road trip against the Phoenix Coyotes at Jobing.com Arena. The 'Hawks had their two-game winning streak snapped with a 3-2 shootout loss to Boston on Saturday. Chicago, which sits at 2-1-and-1 on the season, wraps up the road trip on Thursday at Colorado. In related team news, the Blackhawks assigned forward Ben Smith to AHL affiliate, Rockford.

Last weekend was the 26th annual Greater Chamber of Commerce Chillifest where venders lined up the Taylorville Square. There was entertainment and competitions held on the Chilifest stage Saturday and Sunday. Some of the competitions included the “Beautiful Baby Contest”, Little Miss and Little Mr. Chilli Pepper Pageant, and the Chilli Eating Contest.

Randal J. Miller, president of the Miller Media group and announcer of the Chillfest told live broadcaster Jared Schaefer how the weather cooperated for the largest fundraiser for the Greater Chamber of Commerce.

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For more information about the Chillifest winners and results visit chillifest-dot-info; that’s chillifest with 2-L’s.

The Greater Chamber of Commerce held their largest fundraiser, the 26th annual Chillifest last weekend. Live broadcaster, Danny Russell got the details on the large chilli cooker from the long-time head chef Kent Richardson.

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Richardson went on to explain that they make around 120 gallons to sell.

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Danny also asked if there was a secret to cooking so much chilli.

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For more information about the Chillifest winners and results visit chillifest-dot-info; that’s chillifest with 2-L’s.

Springfield, IL – The Illinois State Police (ISP), District 9, will conduct Nighttime Enforcement Patrols (NITE) in Sangamon County during October, according to Captain Anna Segura.

The ISP has zero tolerance for impaired drivers. Therefore, officers working NITE patrols will be watchful for drivers who are operating vehicles in an unsafe manner, driving with a suspended or revoked driver’s license, transporting open alcoholic beverages, driving under the influence, and are not properly buckled up.

Alcohol and drug impairment is a significant factor in over 40 percent of all fatal motor vehicle crashes in Illinois. These nighttime patrols are designed to keep our roads safe by taking dangerous DUI offenders off the road and ensuring all vehicle occupants are buckled up. This project is funded by the Illinois Department of Transportation, Division of Traffic Safety.

The Shelbyville Board of Education will meet Thursday night. Board members are expected to review the FY 2011 Audit. They’ll also discuss Senate Bill 7 and the Performance Evaluation Reform Act. The Board will then go into Executive Session to discuss some personnel matters. The Board will meet Thursday night at 7:00 PM at the Shelbyville High School Cafeteria.

Help restock blood supplies on October 24th at the blood drive at the Morrisonville American Legion. The Central Illinois Community Blood Center will collect blood from 2:30 to 7:30 PM. Complimentary sandwiches, cookies, and drinks will be available.

The judge for this year’s contest was Jodi Birdwell, art instructor at Lake Land College.

“I chose Samantha’s work for Best in Show because it’s nice to shake things up,” said Birdwell. “There are so many elements to it that have been brought together with such skill and creative inventiveness. It’s also quite playful! Plus, I really enjoyed the fact that I could place an “assemblage” piece as Best in Show, because you don’t see that too often – it’s more typical to see a painting win the prize.”

Show winners in the professional category are as follows: first place, Sherry Harris of Sullivan for her work “Somewhere in Turkey;” second place, Marcia Boroughs of Charleston for her work “Winter Bird;” and third place, Nick Walk of Sigel for “Midnight Snack.”

Honorable Mention in the professional category went to Phillip Glosser of Charleston, Marcia Boroughs of Charleston and Nick Walk of Sigel.

In the amateur category, the winners are: first place, Barbara Brummer of Mason for “Reaching to the Sun;” second place, Ronald Bartanen of Sullivan for “Chapel in the Woods, Turkey Run State Park, IN;” and third place, Sandra Lautrup of Effingham for “Where’s the Food.”

Amateur Honorable Mention went to Adrienne Strohm of Marshall and Pat Miah of Neoga.

In the student division, the winners are: first place, Olivia Thoele of Teutopolis for “Succumb;” second place, Cathleen Bierman of Teutopolis for “Bierman Farm;” and third place was again Thoele for “Still-Life.”

Honorable mention in the student category went to Brittany Mersman of Teutopolis, Julie Hoene of Teutopolis, Madison Kerans of Mattoon, Andrew Stokes of Charleston, Julie Hoene of Teutopolis, Lauren Heuerman of Teutopolis, Logan Bueker of Teutopolis, Mareike Eydt-Reche of Charleston and Shelby Will of Teutopolis.

Monetary awards of $75, $50 and $25 were given to first, second and third place winners in each of the three categories. The artist chosen for Best in Show received a prize of $100

The Lake Land College Foundation is a nonprofit corporation organized and operated exclusively for educational, scientific and cultural purposes to assist in developing and fostering scholarships and charitable activities. It assists the college in developing and enhancing the educational opportunities and services to its students, alumni and citizens of the district. The Foundation administers general and academic scholarships, which have been made available by contributions, gifts, grants and bequests.

Further annexation of property in the existing Taylorville Industrial Park, was discussed at Monday night’s Taylorville City Council meeting.

Mayor Greg Brotherton reported to the council, that the Assad property has agreed to be annexed into the Industrial Park, and that discussions are on-going with another property owner in the park, Bernie Curvey, about annexing his 5 properties into the Industrial Park. Brotherton added that Curvey has agreed to annex 2 of his properties into the Park, and Brotherton was hopeful that discussions would lead to annexing Curvey’s other 3 properties.

It was a quick but eventful Taylorville City Council meeting Monday night at the Council chambers.

During their 30-minute meeting, aldermen passed resolutions for a commercial fish removal program at Lake Taylorville for 5 months over the winter, leased an ambulance to the Taylorville Fire Protection District for one-dollar rental; OK’d an amendment to the Taylorville-Christian County Enterprise Zone intergovernmental cooperation agreement, spelling out the funding mechanism for implementing the enterprise zone; and annexed property belonging to Lirim Besiroski at 1201 Springfield Road.

Taylorville aldermen Monday night approved some 20-thousand dollars worth of change orders on the lift station rehabilitation project, with a new completion date of December First of this year; promoted police officer Evert Nation to Police Sergent; and replaced the police department computer server with the work going to Computer Techniques at a cost of some 53-hundred dollars.

The Taylorville City Council last night promoted treasurer’s office employee Mindy Durbin to office level one, and water department office employee Sheryl Brown to office level one; and the Council approved paying half of an 18-hundred dollar repair bill for a broken water line inside the home of Sara Ruff at 602 West First Street. Aldermen voted to build a new chain length fence around the new high school water tower; OK’d waiving a rental bill and have the city demolish an old storage building at Taylorville Airport; and approved the annual inspection of Lake Taylorville Dam by the city’s consulting engineers Greene and Bradford.

The Taylorville Main Street Committee approached the Taylorville City Council Monday night, for approval to block Market Street on the south side of the Taylorville square from 1pm to 7:30pm on Saturday, October 29th, for a new event.

Becky Edwards, the new executive director of Taylorville Main Street, and Main Street Committee member Gina Prinzavalli, gave aldermen details on the event, in their request to block the street. The event will be called the “Main Street Pumpkin Prowl” and feature pumpkin carving, lighting of pumpkins around the Courthouse wall, pumpkin bowling, a costume contest, coloring contests, a scavenger hunt, a hay maze and trick or treating at the businesses around the square.

The hay maze will be located on Market Street on the south side of the square.

The Taylorville Square was the place to be last weekend with at least 90 venders lining up the square. Many competitions took of the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest stage on Saturday. One of which was the Chilli Eating Contest where participants received 4 bowls of chilli, and the first one that ate all 4 bowls within 10 minutes was the winner.

Steven Toberman from the new store Aaron’s won the competition, finishing his 4 bowls of chilli in just 2 minutes. Coming into the competition he explained to Jared Schaefer, who was live at the Chillitfest, his game plan.

[audio:Chilli1015.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Toberman was presented with a trophy and will be given a special shirt compliments of the Taylorville Chamber.

[audio:2Chilli1015.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Other local celebrities who competed in the completion were Logan Kohlrus from Del’s Popcorn Shop and Taylorville High School principal Bob Richardson.

(Taylorville)—A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on-the-air to officially kick off the new groovy 93.5 radio station that signed on in Taylorville this morning.

The new station is the 4th signal for the Miller Media Group’s Taylorville cluster, which includes WTIM Newstalk 97.3, WMKR Genuine Country 94.3, WRAN Solid Gold 98.3, and taylorvilledailynews.com.

Helping to cut the ribbon in front of the Miller Media Group studios this morning, was Taylorville mayor Greg Brotherton, Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Fred Ronnow, Miller Media Group president Randal J. Miller and secretary/treasurer Cathy Miller, Taylorville cluster general manager Kami Payne, and groovy 93.5 lead account manager Bryan Payne.

The new groovy 93.5 plays top 40 music from 1967 thru 1985, as Christian County’s Oldies Station.

Miller Media Group personality Danny Russell will host a request show weekdays from noon til one in the afternoon, taking phone calls from listeners.

Groovy 93.5 marks the 9th radio signal for the Miller Media Group in central and northwest Illinois.

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CAPTION TO PICTURE: The ribbon was cut to officially sign on the new groovy 93.5 at the Miller Media Group studios in Taylorville Monday morning. The new signal went on the air just after midnight Monday morning. Participating in the ribbon cutting were, from the left: Kami Payne, general manager, Taylorville cluster of the Miller Media Group; Teresa Nelson, account manager, Miller Media Group, Taylorville; Fred Ronnow, president and CEO, Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce; Cathy Miller, secretary/treasurer, Miller Media Group; Taylorville mayor Greg Brotherton; Randal J. Miller, president, Miller Media Group; Jared Beckem, loan officer, First National Bank in Taylorville; Blaine Cornwell, president and CEO, First National Bank in Taylorville; Bryan Payne, account manager for the Miller Media Group, Taylorville, and lead account manager for groovy 93.5.

Vice president of business development for Tenaska, Bart Ford, was this week's guest speaker at the annual meeting of the Christian County Economic Development Corporation at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium. The over 100 in attendance heard a progress report from Ford, on his company's ongoing efforts to secure permission from the Illinois General Assembly, to construct the 3-billion dollar plant northeast of Taylorville, that will generate over 25-hundred construction jobs, and 200 permanent jobs.

Ford told the group that Tenaska will be amending their air permit issued by the Environmental Protection Agency, with a hearing to be held in Taylorville soon, in preparation for the General Assembly OK'ing the project.

[audio:ford1015a.mp3]comment here[/audio]

And, Ford said that while it's definitely not a done deal, he's hopeful that Tenaska's efforts in the Illinois General Assembly this fall will be successful.

[audio:ford1015b.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Ford's appearance was met by about half a dozen picketers outside the hospital auditorium, representing the Sierra Club which is on-record as opposing the project.

The Macon County Conservation District is hosting the annual Harvest Festival on October 22nd at the Rock Springs Conservation Area from 2-7pm. Stories around the Campfire will be from 7-8:30 pm at Pavilion 2. Reservations are required and can be made by calling 217-423-7708.

Families can pick and choose the activities they want to participate in throughout the evening starting with a costume contest followed by a scavenger hunt and face painting. Afterwards activities include making your own scarecrow, decorating a pumpkin to take home for their front porch, or simply enjoying the wagon rides and the wiener roast. After the crafts and activities, visitors have the option to stay and enjoy refreshments while listening to local story tellers tell comical and spooky tales around the campfire.

A complete package including dinner, crafts, activities, and storytelling is $15 a person. If you would like to purchase individual activities: dinner - with one hot dog, chips and a drink - is $4, scarecrows $5, pumpkins $5, and Stories around the Campfire $2. Face painting is $1-2 depending on complexity. The costume contest, scavenger hunt, and wagon rides are free. For more information or reservations call 423-7708 or visit maconcountyconservation.org.

The military will be represented at the 2011 Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest this weekend on the square.

The Army, Air Force, and Marines will all have personnel at the 2-day event to represent their branches of the Armed Forces. They’ll be available to visit with the public, and will also give away prizes.

Bill German, a member of the Chillifest committee, who arranged the military’s visit to the event, says they may bring some surprises as well.

A complete schedule of events can be found on the web at chillifest-dot-info; that’s chillifest with 2-L’s.

The Lincoln Land Community College Green Center is holding a Do-it-Yourself Solar Hot Air Collector workshop on Saturday, Oct. 22. The workshop is being held from 9 a.m.. to 4 p.m., and registrations are now being accepted.

During this daylong class, participants will learn how to build and install their own low-cost solar hot air collector, which can be built in one weekend for under $400 using locally available materials. One 4x8-foot panel can mount on a south wall of their house, garage or work shed to provide daytime heat on sunny days for up to 500 square feet of floor area. During class, participants will work as a team to construct a collector. Hand tools and all supplies will be provided; however, participants are welcome to bring their favorite hand tools.

Cost is $50 per person or $80 per couple. Registration deadline is Thursday, Oct. 20 at 5 p.m. To register, go to llcc.edu/greencenter or call 786-2434.

The Shelby County Health Department would like to announce the upcoming Childbirth classes that will begin on November 3rd. The classes will cover labor and delivery, breathing and relaxation techniques, pain management, cesarean delivery, and newborn care. The class will also provide information on breastfeeding and the post-partum period.

The classes will be held for four weeks from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. with the first class on November 3rd. There is no charge for these classes. Those interested in attending should contact the Health Department at 774-9555 as soon as possible to register due to limited class space. Support coaches, whether they are a spouse, relative, or friend are encouraged to attend.

Matt Holliday had three hits and two RBI as the Cardinals crushed the Brewers, 7-1, in Game Five of the National League Championship Series. Yadier Molina went 3-for-4 with a run scored and an RBI for the Cards, who took a three-games-to-two lead in the best-of-seven series with the victory. Octavio Dotel got four outs in relief of Jaime [[ HIGH-may ]] Garcia to earn the win. Jason Motte got the final four outs to earn his second save of the series.

Corey Hart smacked an RBI single in the fifth for Milwaukee, which committed four errors and left seven men on base. Zack Greinke [[ GRAIN-key ]] allowed five runs, only two of which were earned, over five-and-two-thirds innings to take the loss. The Brewers will host Game Six at 4:05 p.m. Eastern Sunday. Milwaukee's Shaun Marcum is scheduled to oppose Edwin Jackson.

Early Thursday Morning, the Taylorville Police were advised of a stranded motorist on Route 29 near the prison. Officers responded and learned that the vehicle, driven by Rainie D. Payne of Columbia, IL, had been reported stolen. Subsequent to investigation, Payne was arrested and charged with Possession of Stolen Property, Driving under the Influence, Driving on a Suspended License, and issued citations for improper lane usage and operation of an uninsured motor vehicle.

Three hours later, Taylorville Police responded to a one vehicle crash involving Payne. She was traveling northbound on Route 29 when she lost control of her vehicle and left the roadway. Her vehicle began spinning and struck the ditch with the rear wheel. Payne was able to get out of the ditch and continued another 1/8th of a mile before having her car die. Payne was treated for minor injuries at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital.

The Taylorville Police Department responded to a two vehicle accident Wednesday morning. 28-year-old Kyle J. Paine of Taylorville was backing up out of his driveway when he backed into 25-year-old Thomas W. Avery of Tovey, IL. Avery told police that he was stopped in traffic when Paine backed up into him. No injuries were reported at the scene.

Remodeling work has begun at the studios of WEIC-AM 1270 Radio at 2560 West State on Illinois Route 316 on the northwest edge of Charleston.

New owners, the Miller Media Group's Kaskaskia Broadcasting, Inc., of Taylorville, closed on the purchase of the station last Friday, and immediately took it off the air, to prepare equipment and facilities for the station's new newstalk format premiering Wednesday, October 19th at 6am.

The large concrete step at the front entrance of the building, has been taken out, and will be replaced with a new concrete slab.

And, an extensive amount of landscape work is being done on the front of the property along Illinois Route 316, to make the station's new sign more visible.

Interior work to be done includes a complete remodeling of offices in the front of the building, including new carpet and walls in the reception and administrative offices as well as new paint.

Miller Media Group president Randal J. Miller said that the physical improvements will go along with the improvements in the on-air signal of WEIC. The station's signal will be cleaner and louder due to an investment in new broadcast equipment.

And, all of WEIC's local newstalk content will be streamed live and archived on the station's new web site that will be live on October 19th—EIdailynews.com.

The Taylorville Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for another seminar on Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook coming up towards the end of October or early November. Fred Ronnow, who is the Greater Taylorville Area Chamber of Commerce President and CEO, says that there will be a morning and an afternoon session for each of the three programs.

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For more information about attending a seminar, you can visit the Taylorville Chamber of Commerce online at taylorvillechamber.com or by giving them a call at 824-4919.

Chilli and entertainment are coming to the Taylorville square this weekend, when the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest kicks off this Saturday morning.

The 2-day event serves as a major fund-raiser for the Chamber by serving chilli and Pepsi products both days. It also serves as 2 days of chilli and salsa judging by the International Chilli Society, attracting cooks from several states.

The Chillifest stage on the south side of the square is where all entertainment takes place again this year. Saturday kicks off with a welcome and opening ceremony at 9am, as well as the 5-K Run and Walk stepping off from the square. Voting for the Beautiful Baby Contest also begins Saturday at 9am.

Stage entertainment Saturday includes the Little Miss and Mister Chillipepper pageant at 9:30am, the Land of Lincoln Barbershop Chorus at 11am, the Turn Out Movement Arts Studio performance at noon, a chilli eating contest at 1pm, singer Danny Russell performing at 1:30pm, the Dance Station Dancers from Assumption performing at 2pm, local cheerleaders performing at 3pm, and the chilli and salsa awards presentation at 4pm.

Sunday starts off bright and early as the 4th annual Tractor Junket and Show rolls at 8am. The Great Pumpkin Contest sponsored by the Christian County Farm Bureau, takes place at 11am, and the ponytail contest sponsored by Karma Salon will be on the Chillifest stage at 12:30pm. Beautiful Baby Contest voting ends at 1pm Sunday, and the Dance Factory Dancers perform on the Chillifest stage at 1pm. The Taylorville High School Jazz Band performs at 2pm, and the most Beautiful Baby Contest awards are announced at 2:45pm with parents and contestants walking across the stage; there is no stage show with the baby contest this year. Chilli and salsa award winners are announced Sunday at 3pm.

Find more information on the 2011 Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest on the web, at chillifest-dot-info; that’s chillifest with 2-L’s.

Among the many Central Illinois leaders attending Wednesday's Christian County Economic Development Corproration annual meeting, was Lake Land College president Scott Lensink, who visited with Regional Radio News about the importance of economic development as it relates to the college.

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And, Lensink says the number of non-traditional students that have come back to Lake Land College for re-training has increased with the change in the economy.

[audio:lensink1014a.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Linsink was accompanied to this week's Christian County Economic Development Corporation annual meeting, by Lake Land's Director of Development Pam Chrisman.

Bart Ford, vice president for business development with Tenaska, the company proposing a 3-billion dollar coal gasification plant for Christian County, was Wednesday's guest speaker at the annual meeting of the Christian County Economic Development Corporation at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.

Ford brought the over 100 in attendance, up to speed on current efforts to get the Illinois General Assembly's permission to build the plant northeast of Taylorville. The plant will mean some 25-hundred construction jobs over 4 years, and over 200 permanent jobs.

Ford told those in attendance that broadening the bill to include wind and solar generating plants, and doing further lobbying work with other state organizations, will help get the Tenaska project more votes in the veto session this fall.

[audio:ford1014a.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Ford added even if the Illinois General Assembly gives Tenaska permission to build the plant in this fall's veto session, more regulatory hurdles remain.

[audio:ford1014b.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Ford thanked Christian County for their continued lobbying efforts in support of the project.

Ford's appearance was met by about half a dozen picketers outside the hospital auditorium, representing the Sierra Club which is on-record as opposing the project.

NBA commissioner David Stern is sounding rather pessimistic about playing basketball this season. Stern said Thursday in an interview with NBA TV that if significant progress toward a labor deal isn't reached early next week, the entire 2011-12 season could be lost. The league and union are slated to meet Monday with a federal mediator in an effort to work out a new collective bargaining agreement. The NBA locked out its players July 1st after the old CBA expired.

The Chicago Bears and Minnesota Vikings square off on "Sunday Night Football" in a Week Six NFC North tilt at Soldier Field. The Bears have dropped three of their last four games and are coming off a 24-13 setback to the unbeaten Detroit Lions on "Monday Night Football" in Week Five to fall to 2-and-3 on the season.

Jay Cutler tossed two touchdowns and Matt Forte rumbled for 116 yards in defeat. Chicago has lost only one game at home this season, but comes into the contest winless in divisional action. The Vikings snapped a four-game losing skid to start the season with a 34-10 victory over the Arizona Cardinals last week in Minneapolis. Chicago beat the Vikes in both meetings last season.

Patrick Kane had a goal and two assists as the Blackhawks edged the Jets, 4-3. Andrew Brunette, Marian Hossa and Dave Bolland also scored to help Chicago collect its second straight win. Ray Emery made 27 saves in the victory. Chicago wraps up a three-game homestand on Saturday against the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins.

The Rams are set to head to Lambeau Field for Sunday's game against the defending Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers. The Rams are coming off a bye week and hope to turn things around after an ugly 0-and-4 start to the season. Green Bay has scored an NFL-best 173 points, while the Rams are dead last with 46. QB Sam Bradford has been sacked 18 times.

Kari Lehtonen stopped 36 of the 38 shots he faced as the Stars slipped past the Blues, 3-2. Loui Eriksson, Adam Burish and Brenden Morrow all scored for Dallas, which raced out to a 3-0 lead en route to improving to 3-and-0 at home.

Matt D'Agostini and Chris Stewart had the goals for St. Louis, which has dropped two-of-three to open the year. Jaroslav Halak allowed all three goals on 24 shots in the loss. The Blues continue a four-game road trip tomorrow night against the San Jose Sharks.

Cardinals outfielder Lance Berkman has been named the National League Comeback Player of the Year. The 35-year-old batted .301 with 31 home runs and 94 RBI in his first season with St. Louis. Berkman struggled to a .248 average with 14 homers and 58 RBI while splitting the 2010 campaign between the Astros and Yankees. Berkman's already re-signed for next year.

The Brewers will clash with the Cardinals in Game Five of the NLCS in St. Louis this evening. Zack Greinke is slated to get the start on the mound for the Crew. The Cardinals will counter with Jaime Garcia. First-pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

Randy Wolf tossed seven innings of two-run ball to lead the Brewers to a 4-2 win over the Cardinals in Game Four of the National League Championship Series. Wolf struck out six en route to picking up the win. John Axford closed things out to earn his second save of the series. Ryan Braun smacked a go-ahead RBI single in the fifth for Milwaukee, which scored twice in the fourth to erase a 2-0 deficit.

The Brewers evened the best-of-seven series at two games apiece with the victory. Matt Holliday and Allen Craig hit solo homers for St. Louis. Kyle Lohse allowed three runs over four-and-a-third innings to take the loss.

(Taylorville)—The Miller Media Group in Taylorville will sign on their newest radio signal, the new “groovy 93.5”, just after midnight on Monday.

The new signal will reach all of Christian County with the greatest top 40 hits from 1967 thru 1985, using a slogan of being “Christian County’s Oldies Station” according to Randal J. Miller, company president.

The new station joins sister stations WTIM, WMKR, and WRAN, originating programming from studios at 918 East Park in Taylorville.

A ribbon cutting ceremony takes place on the air on the new groovy 93.5 at 9:10 Monday morning.

The new station will also feature a daily request show featuring Miller Media Group personality Danny Russell, from noon til one o’clock each weekday.

Christian County radio listeners are invited to tune into the new groovy 93.5, which begins programming just after midnight this coming Monday morning.

27-year-old Kara B. Lentz of Witt, IL, informed the Christian County Sheriff’s Office that she was traveling northbound on County Highway 1 Tuesday Night, just north of Township Road 700 North, when a deer ran out in front of her vehicle. Lentz was unable to avoid striking the deer and received front and right end damage to her vehicle. Lentz reported no injuries from the accident and the vehicle was driven from the scene.

The Christian County Sheriff’s Office responded to a one vehicle accident on Sunday Afternoon. Scott E. Dailey, 46 of Taylorville, was traveling northeast on Illinois Route 48 and attempted a left turn onto South Houston Street. Dailey lost control of his vehicle, traveled off the roadway, and struck a fence post causing damage to the fence and his vehicle. Dailey drove his damaged vehicle to a residence just north of the crash site and reported no injuries at the scene.

Officers of the Taylorville Police Department responded to a one vehicle accident in the 200 block of South Spresser o Friday Evening. A juvenile female of Taylorville ran off of the road into the gravel and came back onto the roadway before losing control of her vehicle. The juvenile female went off the road a second time and struck a culvert and ended up in the nearby ditch and field. The vehicle received major front end damage and was towed from the scene. She reported no injuries at the scene.

The Taylorville Police Department stopped 37-year-old Angela M. Beard of Taylorville for disobeying a stop sign on Saturday night. After identifying the driver as Beard, officers learned that her driving status is suspended. Beard was arrested, transported to the Taylorville Police Department, processed and released on a notice to appear.

While out on patrol Sunday night, police observed 49-year-old Walter D. Harker of Taylorville walking in the 700 block of West Park Blvd. Police verified that Parker had two valid warrants out for his arrest. Officers placed Parker under arrest and transported him to the Christian County Correctional Center in lieu of bond.

The Taylorville Police Department responded to a complaint Friday afternoon that 56-year-old Steven A. Leonard of Taylorville was urinating by a trash can in the alleyway of the 100 block of West Park Street. Police located Leonard, placed him under arrest, transported him to the police department and later released him on a notice to appear.

Saturday afternoon, the Taylorville Police Department responded to a two vehicle collision on the corner of Route 29 and East Main Cross Street. A juvenile female of Taylorville was going to turn left onto East Main Cross Street when she did not realize that 63-year-old Terry F. Belsher of Taylorville was slowing his vehicle down. The juvenile female started to change lanes into the left turn lane when she struck the back of Belsher’s vehicle. No injuries were reported to either party and both individuals drove their cars away from the scene.

Thomas L. Stringer, 58 of rural Pana, told the Christian County Sheriff’s Office that he was traveling northbound on Township Road 2700 East on Monday Night with a loaded semi-tractor/trailer just south of Township Road 1150 North. Stringer got too close to the shoulder of the road and was unable to get the semi-tractor/trailer back onto the roadway. The semi entered the east ditch and overturned, receiving major damage, but Stringer reported no injuries.

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club met in regular session this past Tuesday in the Taylorville Memorial Hospital Auditorium. Andrew Nelson was the club’s guest speaker on Tuesday. Nelson is currently the Christian County Jail Administrator and a retired New York Police Department Sargent and the city wide Patrol Supervisor on 9-11. Nelson shared his thoughts and feelings about that day which become one of the eeriest days of his life. Talking about that tragic day isn’t something he does often, but does so in memory of all who lost their lives.

Dan Sneed, who is the treasurer of the Kiwanis Club, gave an update on Peanut Days and informed the club about the Annual Coats For Kids Day coming up next Tuesday, October 25th and Car Seat Safety Day, as they’ll be helping out the Taylorville Police Department on Saturday, October 29th.

Next week’s program will be presented by Erica Borggren, who is the Director of Illinois Department of Veterans Administration.

Taylorville Kiwanis Club meets each Tuesday at noon in the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium. If you would like more information about joining Kiwanis contact Fred Ronnow at 824-4919. For the latest news on Kiwanis you can log onto their website at taylorvillekiwanis.com.

Theresa Gowin, owner and operator of Gowin Parc in Mattoon and Pana, and her team are participating in the Alzheimer’s Walk in Decatur on Saturday. The event takes place at the Fairview Park, Pavilion #1 on the corners of West Eldorado and North Oakland in Decatur.

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Gowin expects to have anywhere between 200 and 300 people attend this weekend’s walk.

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Registration for the Alzheimer’s Walk in Decatur on Saturday begins at 9:00 a.m. with the walk beginning at 10:15 a.m. at the Fairview Park under Pavilion #1.

The Christian County Leadership Excellence Achieved by Design program, or LEAD program, is entering its fifth year. The Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Fred Ronnow says that the program first got started in conjunction with the University of Illinois Extension Office.

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The start of the LEAD program will begin on January 11th, 2012, with classes continuing throughout the next eleven weeks.

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Ronnow says classes will be held every Wednesday from 1:00 until 4:00 at the University of Illinois Extension Office in Taylorville, which is located at 1120 North Webster Street in Taylorville. But there are two dates that won’t be meeting on Wednesday’s.

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For more information about signing up for the 2012 LEAD program, you can contact the Taylorville Chamber of Commerce at 824-4919 or by visiting their website at taylorvillechamber.com.

With some regular season games already cancelled, the NBA is working to get together for more labor talks. Union chief Billy Hunter in New York that representatives for the league and players will meet with a federal mediator on Monday. A league spokesman says the two sides are working to schedule a Monday meeting. The NBA has been in a lockout since July 1st after the previous collective bargaining agreement expired. Commissioner David Stern cancelled the entire preseason and first two weeks of the regular season last week.

FC Dallas punched its ticket for the 2011 MLS Cup Playoffs Wednesday night by defeating the Chicago Fire, 2-1, at Toyota Park. Sebastian Grazzini found the back of the net in the 86th minute to account for Chicago's lone goal of the game. The loss put an end to Chicago's respectable four-game unbeaten streak. The Fire play their final road contest of the regular season on Saturday evening as they square off against DC United at R.F.K. Stadium.

The Chicago Blackhawks host the Winnipeg Jets this evening at the United Center. The 'Hawks split a home-and-home set with the Dallas Stars to kick off regular season action. They beat Dallas, 5-2, on Saturday in the Windy City. Chicago wraps up a three-game homestand on Saturday against the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins.

In related team news, the Blackhawks recalled goaltender Alexander Salak from AHL affiliate Rockford and assigned forward Brandon Saad to Saginaw of the OHL.

The Blues are in "Big D" tonight as they skate against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. It's the start of a four-game road trip for St. Louis, which opened the season by splitting games at home with the Predators and Flames. Dallas is off to a 2-1-and-0 start, coming off a 2-1 shootout victory over Phoenix on Monday. The Blues will skate at San Jose Saturday.

Illinois will put its unbeaten mark on the line Saturday afternoon against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Memorial Stadium. The Fighting Illini are a perfect 6-and-0 on the season after last Saturday's 41-20 triumph over Indiana. The Buckeyes have dropped two straight to Michigan State and Nebraska to slip to 3-and-3 on the season. Illinois will play at Purdue next Saturday.

The Rams continue to prepare for Sunday's game against the Packers. The team practiced yesterday, including defensive tackle Darell Scott, who had thumb surgery last week. At 0-and-4, the Rams are one of just three winless teams left in the NFL this season. The Dolphins are also 0-and-4, while the Colts are a league-worst 0-and-5. Green Bay is a perfect 5-and-0.

Theo Epstein has reportedly reached an agreement to join the Chicago Cubs front office. Epstein's contract as Red Sox general manager and executive vice president runs through 2012, but WEEI radio in Boston reported Wednesday that a five-year deal worth $15-million had been reached. The report said the sides hadn't decided what title Epstein will have. ESPN also reported that Epstein and the Cubs agreed to a five-year deal. In 2002, Epstein became the youngest GM in major league history when he took over the Red Sox at age 28. He helped the BoSox snap an 86-year championship drought in 2004 and the organization tacked on another title in 2007.

The Cubs have not won a World Series title since 1908. They went 71-and-91 this past season, missing out on the postseason for the third straight year. General manager Jim Hendry was fired in mid-August, and Randy Bush was promoted from assistant to interim GM.

The Cards will clash with the Crew in Game Four of the NLCS this evening. Kyle Lohse is slated to get the start on the mound for St. Louis. Milwaukee will counter with Randy Wolf. First-pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.

The Cardinals scored four runs in the first inning en route to a 4-3 win over the Brewers in Game Three of the NLCS. Albert Pujols, Jon Jay and David Freese had RBI doubles in the first for St. Louis, which has won two straight to take a two-games-to-one lead in the best-of-seven series. Chris Carpenter tossed five innings of three-run ball to get the win. Jason Motte got the final four outs to earn the save.

Mark Kotsay smacked a solo homer for Milwaukee, which left nine men on base. Yovani Gallardo went five innings, allowing all four runs and eight hits while walking five and striking out two, to take the loss.

While Ford was presenting the latest on the Tenaska proposal inside, a group of about half a dozen picketers walked outside the auditorium to protest the Tenaska project. They indicated they were representing the Sierra Club, an environmental group that has long opposed the project.

At Wednesday's annual meeting of the Christian County Economic Development Corporation, executive director Mary Renner shared with board members some good news about the former Buckley's Greenhouse located west of Taylorville near the Waste Management landfill.

[audio:renner1013a.mp3]comment here[/audio]

Renner also told the board that the proposed Christian County Coal Mine in the northern part of the county is still on track.

High school students, parents and adult learners are invited to Campus Visit Day at Lincoln Land Community College set for Saturday, November 5 from 8:30 a.m. to noon or Lincoln Land’s Open House on Tuesday, November 8 from 5 to 7 p.m. The free events are being held in the Lincoln Commons on LLCC’s campus in Springfield.

This year’s theme for the events is “Backstage Pass-All Access.” Students can choose one of the two opportunities to find out more about what LLCC has to offer. Campus Visit Day offers prospective students the opportunity to attend informational sessions on starting college, academic advising, financial aid and choosing a major or career program. Faculty, advisors and department representatives will be available to answer individual questions and discuss students’ interests and goals. Campus tours will be offered and continental breakfast will be served, as well as treats prepared by LLCC Culinary Arts students.

The Open House will feature admissions, financial aid and career assistance. Representatives from the various academic departments and the Accelerated Success Associate Program, in addition to academic advisors will be on hand.

Registrations are being accepted now at llcc.edu or by calling 786-2577. You can also call toll free at 800-727-4161, extension 62577.

The Pana Community Hospital will be offering monthly CPR classes to the general public and invites anyone needing CPR certification and re-certification to attend. The next CPR class will be held next Thursday, October 20th at 1:00 pm in the Administrative Conference room located on the 3rd floor of the Pana Community Hospital.

The cost for the class is $20 for all non-Pana Community Hospital employees. Registration for the class is required by calling the hospital at 562-2131.

The Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest Committee has announced its entertainment lineup for the 2011 event taking place on the square this weekend.

All entertainment takes place unless otherwise noted, on the Chillifest stage on the south side of the square.

The weekend kicks off at 9am with a welcome and opening ceremonies, as well as the annual Chillifest 5K Run and Walk.

At 9:30 Saturday morning, the Little Miss and Mister pageant is held, followed by the Land of Lincoln Barbershop Chorus at 11am, and the Turn Out Movement Arts Studio performing at noon.

At 1pm on Saturday is a Chilli Eating Contest, followed at 1:30 by entertainer and local radio personality Danny Russell performing. The Dance Station Dancers from Assumption perform at 2pm, followed by local cheerleaders at 3pm. Chilli and salsa award winners are announced at 4pm.

Sunday’s Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest entertainment schedule includes the 4th annual Tractor Junket and Show at 8am, the Great Pumpkin Contest sponsored by the Christian County Farm Bureau at 11am, the Dance Factory Dancers at 1pm, and the Taylorville High School Jazz Band at 2pm. The Beautiful Baby Contest “Parade of Babies” takes place at 3pm along with the announcement of winners, and right after that the chilli and salsa award winners are announced.

The schedule is subject to change, and can also be found on the event’s web site, chillifest (with 2-L’s) dot-info.

After all of the planning and scheduling of vendors, entertainers, and volunteers, the Shelbyville Scarecrow Daze was a huge success. Terri Whalen, who is the Chairperson of Scarecrow Daze, says that the planning of the entire weekend is nerve-wracking, but to know that things went well is a big payoff.

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Of course, there is no rest for the weary as planning for the 2012 Scarecrow Daze is already underway.

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The Scarecrow Daze Parade was another hit of the weekend and Whalen says that it was the biggest parade that the festival has ever had.

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For more information about events that the Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce puts on, you can visit them online at shelbyvillechamberofcommerce.com or you can call them at 774-2221.

The Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce is getting ready for their Business after Hours, set for next Wednesday, October 19th. Fred Ronnow, who is the President and CEO of the Chamber, says the event will take place from 4:30 to 6:30 at Hickory Estates in Taylorville.

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Ronnow says that the event is for members that are a part of the Chamber, but those who are not members yet can call the Chamber and express their interest in attending the Business after Hours.

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The Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Business after Hours is next Wednesday, October 19th, from 4:30 to 6:30 at the Hickory Estates in Taylorville.

Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Christian County is an organization that provides a mentor for a child through a one-on-one relationship. Vanessa Williams, who is the Christian County Site Supervisor of Big Brothers/Big Sisters, is currently looking for mentors to take part in this great cause.

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Williams says that the biggest draw in Christian County is the high school mentoring portion of Big Brothers/Big Sisters, where the high school mentors meet with their little brother or little sister one day a week after school.

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Of course, Williams sees, first hand, the benefits of the mentor program. The high school mentors as well as the little brothers and little sisters look forward to their meeting together every week.

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For more information about becoming a mentor, visit the Big Brothers/Big Sisters Christian County Office at the U.S. Bank Building, 108 West Market Street in Taylorville. You can give them a call at 824-5531 or visit their website at bbbscapitalregion.org

The Chicago Blackhawks are back on the ice tomorrow evening as they host the Winnipeg Jets at the United Center. The 'Hawks split a home-and-home set with the Dallas Stars to kick off their 2011-12 regular season campaign.

They beat Dallas, 5-2, on Saturday in the Windy City. Chicago wraps up a three-game homestand on Saturday against the defending Stanley Cup champion Boston Bruins.

The Blues are in action tomorrow night as they open a four-game road trip at Dallas. St. Louis split two home games to start the season, falling to Nashville before bouncing back to beat Calgary on Monday.

The Note will also skate at San Jose, Anaheim and Los Angeles before returning home to host Carolina a week from Friday. The Blues then hit the road again for four more games.

The Rams are game planning for Sunday's contest against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. It's a daunting challenge for a team that is 0-and-4 and riddled with injuries as they take on the defending Super Bowl champions, who are off to a 5-and-0 start this season.

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is looking like an MVP candidate, having thrown 14 TD's to just two interceptions.

The Chicago Bears made a slew of roster moves on Tuesday. The Bears elevated safety Anthony Walters from the practice squad, signed wide receiver Max Komar and defensive end Jake Laptad to the practice squad, waived safety Winston Venable and terminated the practice squad contracts of wide receiver Kris Adams and running back Armando Allen.

Chicago is coming off a 24-13 "Monday Night Football" loss to Detroit to fall to 2-and-3 on the season. They host the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday night at Soldier Field.

The Chicago White Sox officially introduced new manager Robin Ventura on Tuesday. Ventura becomes the 39th manager in White Sox history. The former major leaguer has no prior managerial experience and takes over a Southside ballclub that finished third in the AL Central division, 16 games back of Detroit, at 79-and-83.

White Sox general manager Kenny Williams revealed a shocking revalation after the indroduction, saying that he briefly considered offered a player-manager position to the team's current first baseman Paul Konerko. Ultimately, though, Williams decided against that thought when he realized it may not be in the best interest of the team.

It looks like the Chicago Cubs have found a new general manager. According to the "Boston Herald," Theo Epstein is on the verge of leaving the Boston Red Sox to become the Northsiders new GM. An announcement is reportedly expected to be made in the next day or two.

There are, however, a couple things getting in the way of current negotiations. The "Herald" is reporting that the BoSox are making a last-ditch effort to keep Epstein and also want some sort of compensation for letting the 37-year-old out of his current contract with Boston. He has one year left on his remaining deal.

The Cardinals are back at home tonight as they host Game Three of the National League Championship Series against the Brewers. The best-of-seven set is all square at a game apiece after the teams split the first two games in Milwaukee.

Chris Carpenter gets the start for St. Louis, while the Brewers counter with Yovani Gallardo. First pitch is at 7:05 p.m.

The Christian County Economic Development Corporation held their annual meeting Wednesday at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium, to review ongoing economic development efforts in the county.

Following the meeting and lunch, guest speaker was vice president for business development for the Tenaska project, Bart Ford. Tenaska has worked for several years, to get necessary state approval to build a 3-billion dollar plant northeast of Taylorville that will use clean coal technology to turn coal into methane, a form of natural gas, which will be used at a co-located power plant, as well as being sold on the open market.

Ford reviewed with the over 100 in attendance, how the plant will turn coal into methane, and also strip out sulfar and carbon dioxide which will also be sold for industrial use.

Ford then recapped last year's efforts to secure permission from the Illinois General Assembly, to build the plant, and what their efforts have been to date this year to try and get legislators' permission to begin construction. That construction means some 25-hundred construction jobs over 4 years, and 200 permanent jobs at the plant.

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Ford added that work this year has been positive so far, especially the announcement by Illinois Senate President John Cullerton that he will sponsor the bill in this fall's veto session.

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Ford added the Tenaska legislation, which is part of a broader solar and wind power bill, will be introduced in the Illinois Senate during the first week of the veto session October 25th thru the 27th.

Ford's appearance was met by about half a dozen picketers outside the hospital auditorium, representing the Sierra Club which is on-record as opposing the project.

Retiring Christian County Board chairman John Curtin was recognized at Wednesday's annual meeting of the Christian County Economic Development Corporation, for his nearly 40 years of public service to the county as a county board member and chairman.

Curtin told the board in their meeting that he enjoyed his years of public service.

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And, Curtin added those years of service have enabled him to get to know hundreds of people thru-out Christian County.

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Dick Adams, president of the Christian County Economic Development Corporation board, told Regional Radio News that Curtin was a great public servant.

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At the end of the meeting, Adams made Curtin one of the at-large members of the Economic Development board.

Eastern Illinois University's Energy and Sustainability Coordinator Ryan Siegel says now that their renewable energy center is open, they're looking to the U of I Ag research department for possible fuel supplies.

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Siegel says partnership with the University of Illinois should be in full swing by this time next year. The 55-million dollar renewable energy center is expected to save the university about one million dollars a year, but that's just 25-percent of the total energy savings plan. Eastern Illinois has also spent about 25-million on upgrading lighting systems across campus, new transformers, and a new air conditioning distribution strategy.

The Lake Land College Adult Education Center will feature its new Community Computer Technology Center at an open house this Thursday, October 13 from 4-6 p.m.

The new computer lab is open to the public and offers classes and opportunities for community members to brush up on their computer skills or to complete job searches.

The Community Computer Technology Center’s regular hours are Mondays 8 a.m.-7 p.m.; and Tuesday through Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. A lab advisor will be present to ask questions and help students on Mondays 4-7 p.m.; Tuesdays 3-5 p.m.; Wednesdays 9 a.m.-1 p.m.; and Thursdays 3-5 p.m. The lab may be scheduled for use at additional times by calling 217-235-0361.

Additionally, the Community Computer Technology Center offers a variety of group seminars and workshops to interested parties like resume writing or learning to stay in touch with friends and family through Facebook. To schedule a time for a workshop or seminar, call 235-0361.

National Fire Prevention Week began on Sunday and the Office of the State Fire Marshall is urging families to take time to follow important steps in fire safety. The focus this year will be on the importance of having a family escape plan in the event of a fire emergency.

According to the National Fire Protection Association, fire departments across the country responded to over 1.3 million fires in 2010. Out of that number, 384,000 were residential fires, which is an increase of 1.9% from the previous year. These fires resulted in approximately 13,000 civilian injuries and over 2,600 civilian deaths.

The Illinois State Fire Marshall says that at least one smoke alarm should be located on every level of the home, including the basement. Smoke alarms should also be located in every sleeping room and within fifteen feet outside each sleeping area. Of course, testing and replacing batteries are just as important as installing the alarm. The State Fire Marshall recommends that individuals should test their alarm at least once a month using the test button on the alarm and to make sure that everyone in your home knows the sound of the alarm. If an alarm should start chirping, the battery is low and it needs to be replaced right away.

For more information on National Fire Prevention Week, you can visit the State Fire Marshall’s website at sfm.illinois.gov.

Numbers are up when it comes to the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce. Fred Ronnow, President and CEO of the Chamber, says that phones calls and in-person visits to the Chamber are both up in the month of September as compared to August.

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Ronnow says that the numbers are up because of information regarding Chillifest set for this weekend. The festivities begin on Saturday and run thru Sunday. For information about Chillifest or any other program sponsored by the Taylorville Chamber of Commerce, you can give them a call at 824-4919 or visit the chamber online at taylorvillechamber.com

Scarecrow Daze and Balloon Fest was a hit this past weekend in Shelbyville, thanks to all of the hard work of volunteers and staff that put on the festivities, the weather cooperating, and the entertainment was a hit. Gary Burt was part of the entertainment and he thoroughly enjoys coming to Shelbyville among other places that take him across the U.S and Canada.

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Burt told Regional Radio News that he specializes in Rat Pack music because of a voice instructor from his youth.

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When asked to entertain during Shelbyville’s Scarecrow Daze, it was something that Burt couldn’t pass up because of his passion for music and entertainment.

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For more information on events put on by the Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce, feel free to give them a call at 774-2221 or visit them online at shelbyvillechamberofcommerce.com.

A new city council-appointed group has been formed in Shelbyville. Shelbyville Works! is devoted to putting Shelbyville in the right direction when it comes to anything to do with the town. John Chambers, who is one of the committee leaders, says that this program will help the city of Shelbyville as a whole.

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Chambers told Regional Radio News that there are several goals and areas that Shelbyville Works! will work on in the near future.

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For more information on the Shelbyville Works! program, you can visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/shelbyvilleil.

The Illinois Fighting Illini have risen one spot in the latest "USA Today" Top-25 College Football Poll. The Illini climbed from 16th in the nation to #15 after Saturday's 41-20 win over Indiana to improve to a perfect 6-and-0 overall and 2-and-0 in Big Ten action.

Off to their best start since 1951, the Fighting Illini have all the makings of a serious contender in the Big Ten this year. Illinois hosts Ohio State this weekend.

The Chicago White Sox will reportedly name Mark Parent and Joe McEwing to the coaching staff of new manager Robin Ventura. Parent will be Ventura's bench coach, while McEwing will be the third-base coach.

Still to be decided is the hitting coach to replace Greg Walker. Sources indicate the White Sox are still deciding between minor league hitting coordinator Jeff Manto and Triple-A Charlotte hitting coach Tim Laker, with Manto believed to be the lead candidate.

The NBA has cancelled the first two weeks of the regular season. NBA commissioner David Stern made the cancellation announcement on Monday evening after meeting with the players' association for several hours earlier in the day in a last-ditch effort to end the lockout and start the 2011 season on time. This marks the first time games have been cancelled in the NBA since the 1998-99 season.

Chicago Blackhawks goaltender Corey Crawford was absent from practice on Monday. Crawford has a minor lower back injury, which could quite possibly be related to a groin injury he was dealing with at the end of training camp. Head coach Joel Quenneville said Crawford is fine and should be back at practice today.

Arizona State goalie Scott Czarnik took drills in his place. Czarnik attends Hawks' goalie coach Stephane Waite's camp and was in town on break from ASU. In related news, forward Ben Smith returned to practice on Monday after missing the last several days due to a concussion he suffered in preseason. The 'Hawks continue a three-game homestand on Thursday evening against the Winnipeg Jets at the United Center.

Alex Pietrangelo and Jason Arnott each had a goal and an assist as the Blues scored a 5-2 win over the Flames. Andy McDonald had a pair of assists as the Note notched their first win of the season. Jaroslav Halak stopped 15 shots for the Blues, who bounced back from a 4-2 home loss to the Predators on Saturday. The Blues skate at Dallas on Thursday.

Coming off a bye week, the Rams now look ahead to Sunday's game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. It's a matchup of polar opposites as the Packers are a perfect 5-and-0 while the Rams remain winless at 0-and-4.

St. Louis is coming off a 17-10 home loss to the Redskins a week ago Sunday. This game begins a stretch of four road games in five weeks.

The Rams began the week by signing a pair of players to help fill the injury void. Wide receiver Nick Miller and cornerback Brian Jackson have been added to the active roster. They replace wide receiver Danny Amendola, who is out with a triceps and elbow injury, and cornerback Bradley Fletcher, who is out with a knee injury. Both have been placed on injured reserve.

The Chicago Bears are reportedly close to signing wide receiver Max Komar to their practice squad. The former Arizona Cardinals wide out tweeted on Monday that he is signing with the Bears and moving to Chicago today. A league source confirmed that Bears general manager Jerry Angelo has been interested in Komar ever since he was placed on injured reserve by the Cards.

He suffered a knee injury in the preseason and released by Arizona last week. Komar, who was college teammates with Bears third-string QB Nate Enderle at Idaho, is still eligible for Chicago's practice squad despite playing in eight games for the Cardinals last season. He caught 12 passes for 117 yards.

Albert Pujols led an offensive assault for St. Louis as the Cardinals dropped Milwaukee, 12-3, in Game Two of the National League Championship Series. The win evens the best-of-seven series at a game apiece. Pujols blasted a two-run homer in the first and David Freese added a solo shot in the ninth to go with his pair of RBI.

Lance Lynn earned the win in relief of Edwin Jackson, who lasted just four-and-a-third frames and gave up two runs. The series shifts to Busch Stadium in St. Louis for Games Three through Five starting on Wednesday evening.

Jahvid Best rumbled for 163 yards on 12 carries with a touchdown to lead the unbeaten Lions in a 24-13 victory over the Bears on "Monday Night Football" at Ford Field. Jay Cutler finished 28-of-38 for 249 yards with a touchdown toss to Kellen Davis for Chicago in defeat. Matt Forte had 122 yards on 22 touches for the Bears, who have dropped three of their last four games to fall to 2-and-3 on the season. The Bears host the Minnesota Vikings at Solider Field in Week Six action on "Sunday Night Football."

The new owners immediately took the station off the air, in order to ready the facilities for their new newstalk format that will debut at 6am on Wednesday, October 19.

The new newstalk format will feature a live and local morning show featuring expanded local newscasts, 2 local interview shows, and a daily Swap Shop. Hourly local news updates will air 24/7 at 30 minutes past each hour, along with a customized local weather forecast twice an hour from the Metro Weather Network.

The new WEIC will also feature nearly 6 hours a day of agriculture programming, including programming from the RFD Radio Network, AgriTalk Radio Network, and WILL-AM 580.

The new WEIC will feature 6-minute hourly newscasts from the CBS Radio Network, along with syndicated talk from the Westwood One Radio Network featuring Dennis Miller weekdays 3-6pm, Phil Valentine weekdays 6-9pm, and Jim Bohannon weekdays 9pm to 6am.

Saturday’s programming line-up on the new WEIC will feature a Saturday Farm Show from 8am to 9:30am, and the Saturday Request Show featuring your favorite oldies from 9:35am to 1pm.

Sunday’s programming line-up on the new WEIC will feature the long-running Gospel Sing Time with Brad Lee from 7 to 11am.

Also, effective October 19, WEIC programming will be heard 24/7 on a new FM repeater covering Coles County and surrounding area at 107.5 FM. WEIC local programming will also be streamed on-line on its new web site, EIdailynews.com, which also premieres on October 19.

The Miller Media Group owns and operates 9 other radio stations in central and northwest Illinois, serving Taylorville, Pana, Shelbyville, Kewanee, Geneseo, the Quad Cities, and Clinton. Corporate headquarters are in Taylorville.

On Thursday afternoon, 45-year-old Nancy E. Nadolny informed the Christian County Sheriff’s Office that an unknown individual or group of individuals had damaged her 2007 Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck.

Nadolny stated that the vehicle was parked at 309 2nd Street in Rosamond when the damage occurred. The unidentified persons keyed the tailgate and let the air out of all four tires. The incident was believed to have occurred sometime during the early morning hours on Thursday.

The theme for this year’s annual “Girls Night Out,” in accordance with the Shelbyville Memorial Hospital, is Breast Cancer Awareness. Tad Mayhall of the Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce says that the event is open to all women.

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“Girls Night Out” is going to be held on Tuesday from 5 to 7 P.M. at the Lake Shelbyville Visitors Center off of Illinois Route 16, just east of the main dam. Coming up later this morning (Monday), Mayhall says that the holiday lights are going to begin being put up in Forest Park.

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For more information on these and other events planned by the Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce, you can contact the chamber by calling 774-2221 or by visiting their website at shelbyvillechamberofcommerce.com

The countdown to Chillifest is less than a week away as festivities for the event begin Saturday morning with the Opening Ceremonies, Annual Chillifest 5K Run/Walk and Beautiful Baby Contest Voting all beginning at 9:00 a.m. Fred Ronnow, President and CEO of the Greater Taylorville Area Chamber of Commerce, is looking forward to the weekend and says that if anyone is still interested in signing up their kid in the Little Mister Pageant, there is still room and time for you to do so.

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Another feature added to this year’s chillifest is that members of the military will be on hand on Saturday and Ronnow says they will be bringing free gifts to pass out to all who stop by.

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Aside from needing more entries for the Little Mister Pageant, Ronnow says judges are still needed to judge the chillifest chili competition.

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For more information about Chillifest, you can call the Taylorville Chamber of Commerce at 824-4919 or by visiting their website at chillifest-dot-info, that’s Chillifest with 2-L’s-dot-info.

The 16th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini and Notre Dame Fighting Irish were both winners over the weekend. Nathan Scheelhaase passed for three touchdowns and ran for another, leading Illinois to a 41-20 victory over Indiana on Saturday.

Scheelhaase threw a 77-yard touchdown pass to A.J. Jenkins and Tavon Wilson returned a fumble 66 yards for a score in a three-minute span in the first quarter, pushing the Fighting Illini out of an early 10-0 hole. Illinois is a perfect 6-and-0 overall and 2-and-0 in Big Ten play. They are off to their best start since 1951.

After a pair of weekend contests, the Chicago Blackhawks have a few days off before they continue a three-game homestand against the Winnipeg Jets on Thursday evening at the United Center.

The 'Hawks played a home-and-home set with Dallas to kick off regular season play and lost 2-1 at the American Airlines Center on Friday, but came back to grab a 5-2 win on Saturday in the Windy City. Chicago wraps up the homestay on Saturday against the Boston Bruins.

David Legwand tallied two goals and two assists for the Nashville Predators as they spoiled the Blues home opener, 4-2. Patrik Berglund and Jason Arnott lit the lamp for the Blues, while Jaroslav Halak struggled in net, saving just 12-of-15 shots. St. Louis gets back to the ice tonight as they host the Calgary Flames.

Are you ready for some football? The Chicago Bears will look to hand the Detroit Lions their first loss of the season as the two NFC North teams square off this evening on "Monday Night Football" from Fore Field.

The Bears snapped a two-game slide with a 34-29 home win over Carolina last weekend to even their record at 2-and-2. The Bears won both meetings against the Lions last season. Overall, Chicago has won six straight games against the Lions.

The Brewers scored six runs in the fifth inning en route to a 9-6 win over the Cardinals in Game One of the National League Championship Series. Prince Fielder and Yuniesky Betancourt each hit two-run homers in the fifth to help Milwaukee take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series.

Traps set to monitor the movement of the emerald ash borer have recently detected the tree-killing beetle in two additional Illinois counties. The Illinois Department of Agriculture announced infestations have been confirmed in DeWitt and Stark counties. Both detections have occurred in rural areas. In DeWitt County, the beetle was discovered between Clinton Lake and the McLean County border. In Stark County, it was trapped near Toulon.

The emerald ash borer is a small, metallic-green beetle native to Asia. Its larvae burrow into the bark of ash trees, causing the trees to starve and eventually die. While the beetle does not pose any direct risk to public health, it does threaten the ash tree population.

The emerald ash borer is difficult to detect, especially in newly-infested trees. Citizens should watch for metallic-green beetles about half the diameter of a penny on or near ash trees that are showing signs of disease or stress. Other signs of infestation in ash trees include D-shaped holes in the bark of the trunk or branches and shoots growing from its base.

Since the emerald ash borer was first confirmed in the Midwest in the summer of 2002, more than 25 million ash trees have been felled by the beetle. Anyone who suspects a tree has been infested is urged to contact either their county Extension office or village forester.

Jobs, education and the challenges of bringing broadband to rural Illinois will be among the topics of the Central Illinois Regional Broadband Summit being held this coming Wednesday at the University of Illinois.

National and statewide leaders and elected officials will come together at the summit to review public and private investment in broadband and high-speed internet, and to discuss opportunities for the future. Representatives of two broadband projects in central Illinois will share progress reports and detail the ways the investments can make a significant difference in the lives of people both locally and statewide.

Companies that have made significant investments in broadband will also participate in the summit. Representatives of these companies will highlight their investments in broadband and discuss their views on how citizens and communities can benefit from access to broadband and high-speed internet.

The Central Illinois Regional Broadband Summit will be held from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, 1205 West Clark Street in Urbana, on the campus of the University of Illinois.

The statewide average temperature in Illinois was 63.2 degrees, 3 degrees below average, and the 13th coolest September on record for the state. The coolest September was in 1918 with 59.3 degrees, according to State Climatologist Jim Angel at the Illinois State Water Survey.

The coldest spot for the month was Paw Paw with 32 degrees on Sepember 15. Also on that day, the temperature at Stockton and Marengo dipped down to 34 degrees. Twenty-two weather stations either set or broke daily records for low temperatures.

Although September was a cool month on average, it began with a burst of heat on Labor Day weekend. Highs reached the upper 90s and 100s. The highest temperature was recorded at Quincy with 104 degrees on September 1. Jacksonville reached 103 degrees on September 2.

In all, at least 65 weather stations in Illinois either tied or broke daily records for high temperatures in early September.

Precipitation was normal for the month. The average precipitation in September was 3.53 inches, 0.34 inches above average. Rainfall was stubbornly sparse in the areas hardest hit by drought where only 1 to 2 inches were common. Amounts in far southern and northern Illinois were much wetter at 4 to 8 inches.

If you’re looking to jump start your education this fall, it’s time to sign up for a module II class through Lake Land College. Registration for the second eight-week session of fall semester classes will continue through Tuesday, October 18. Classes begin Monday, October 17 and end Friday, December 9, with the following week being final exams.

Counselors are available to assist students with module II registration Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Evening hours are available by appointment only.

For registration information, or for a complete list of courses, visit lakelandcollege.edu and click on the I.R.I.S link to search for classes or you can call Counseling Services at 234-5232.

The 15th Annual Scarecrow Daze began Friday night in Shelbyville’s Forest Park with the Knights of Columbus Fish Fry and Flu Shot Clinic kicking off this year’s festivities. Terri Whalen, who is chairing Scarecrow Daze this year, says in addition to everything that happened on Friday, there’s a full slate of activities set for Saturday and Sunday.

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Of course, if you missed coming to the festival Friday or cannot make it on Saturday, you have one more chance on Sunday to enjoy the great weather and Scarecrow Daze.

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For more information on the events during Shelbyville’s Scarecrow Daze, you can visit lakeshelbyville.com or give the Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce a call at 774-2221.

Chris Carpenter tossed a three-hitter as the Cardinals edged the Phillies, 1-0, in the decisive Game Five of their National League Division Series. Carpenter struck out three and walked none in the complete-game gem. Skip Schumaker doubled in the game's only run in the first inning. Rafael Furcal scored on the double after leading off the game with a triple. The Cards will clash with the rival Milwaukee Brewers in the National League Championship Series, which will begin on Sunday. Roy Halladay struck out seven, but allowed the series-deciding run during his eight innings of work to take the loss.

Kari Lehtonen stopped 37 shots, leading Dallas to a 2-1 victory over the Blackhawks in the first part of a home-and-home series between the two squads to open the season. Alex Goligoski and Jamie Benn each lit the lamp in the second period to provide the offensive punch for the Stars, who are looking to bounce back from missing the playoffs last year. Nick Leddy scored the only goal for the Blackhawks late in the third. Corey Crawford made 31 saves for Chicago, which was bounced in the first round of the postseason last year by Vancouver.

The Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals advanced to the National League Championship Series on Friday. The Brewers notched a 3-2, 10-inning win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game Five of their NL Division Series. Milwaukee won a playoff series and advanced to a League Championship Series for the first time since 1982 with the victory. Chris Carpenter tossed a three-hitter as the Cardinals clipped the Phillies, 1-0, in Game Five of their NLDS. Game One of the best-of-seven series between the NL Central rivals will be on Sunday in Milwaukee.

Meantime, the American League Championship Series will get underway on Saturday. The Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers will clash in Game One of the best-of-seven set in Arlington. Tigers ace Justin Verlander is slated to oppose Texas' C.J. Wilson. First-pitch is at 8:05 p.m. Eastern.

(Taylorville)—The Miller Media Group in Taylorville will sign on their 4th signal coming from their studios at 918 East Park, just past midnight on Monday, October 17.

“groovy 93.5” FM is the name of the new station. It’s being branded as “Christian County’s OLDIES Station”, playing the Top 40 hits from 1967 thru 1985. Groovy’s signal reaches a 20-mile radius of its tower south of Taylorville.

An on-air ribbon cutting featuring local dignitaries, will take place on the air, just past 9am on the 17th in the groovy 93.5 studios.

Weekday programming will include a daily request show from noon to 1pm, and listener contests.

The public is invited to tune into groovy 93.5 FM starting Monday, October 17.

The Farmer’s Market continues to draw in shoppers every Saturday in Downtown Taylorville. Market manager Ed Downs says even at this time of the year, they have new products showing up.

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The Farmer’s Market will be open on Saturday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on the Taylorville Square. The market will be closed on the weekend of October 15th and 16th due to Chillifest, but will be back the following Saturday.

The 6th annual telethon to raise money for the United Way of Christian County was this past Tuesday on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM. Joni Beyers, Executive Director of the United Way in Christian County, told Regional Radio News that $1,830 was raised to help support the United Way and was very appreciative of all the donations.

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According to Beyers, the money raised during the telethon will benefit 23 member agencies that serve over 10,000 people in Christian County.

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With no fundraisers in the near future for the United Way, Beyers says that people still wishing to contribute to the United Way can call or email their office or mail in a donation.

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WTIM and the United Way thank all of the businesses and individuals that called in pledges during the two-hour event. For more information on the United Way of Christian County, you can click on their icon at taylorvilledailynews.com

The Taylorville Police Department responded to an accident Thursday morning. 23-year-old Jacob D. Reber of Taylorville and an underage female of Morrisonville were both traveling eastbound on Springfield Road in Taylorville when the underage female stopped in traffic and Reber did not stop in time to avoid striking her car.

Reber received front end damage to his car and the underage female received damage to the rear end of her car, but neither was towed from the scene. No injuries were reported and Reber was issued a citation for failure to reduce speed and was given a court date.

All this week has been National 4-H Week in Christian County and students were able to participate in the 4-H National Youth Science Day on Wednesday at the Taylorville Wal-Mart. The theme of the event was Wired for Wind: The 2011 National Science Experiment and Program Coordinator Jodi Heberling says the event was a big success for participants as everyone that attended learned a great deal about wind.

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According to Heberling, one of the most surprising and interesting events of the day was once the participants set up their mini wind turbines, three blades of the same shape actually worked better than four.

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The turnout on Wednesday was very good as kids and parents came throughout the entire hour and a half event.

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Also part of the festivities of National 4-H Week was the judging of window displays and Heberling says that is was tough to pick the winners.

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For more information on Christian County 4-H, you can contact Jodi Heberling at 287-7246.

It's been a tough year for corn and soybean producers, but some experts believe there is an opportunity to make up for a disappointing summer in the winter wheat market. Local Farm Broadcaster Jared White has more.

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Listen to the WTIM morning and afternoon farm show with local farm broadcaster Jared White each weekday at 6:40 a.m. and 12:20 p.m. on the Talk of Central Illinois, Newstalk 97.3 WTIM.

The Shelbyville Scarecrow Daze starts later this afternoon and runs through Sunday, with the theme of the weekend being “A Day at the Lake.” Tad Mayhall, of the Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce, says that the weekend will be a real treat for those attending the festivities.

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Aside from everything else that is taking place, Mayhall says that Saturday night at dusk is the time to really see and take part in Balloon Fest, which is being held in conjunction with Scarecrow Daze this year.

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Scarecrow Daze and Balloon Fest begins on Friday with the Flu Shot Clinic and the Knights of Columbus Fish Fry Dinner, with each of these events beginning at 4:30. For a complete list of activities and events throughout the entire weekend, you can visit the Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce online at shelbyvillechamberofcommerce.com or by giving them a call at 774-2221.

The 16th-ranked Illinois Fighting Illini and Notre Dame Fighting Irish are both on the gridiron this weekend. The Illini hit the road on Saturday to square off against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. Illinois improved to a perfect 5-and-0 on the season with a 38-35 win over Northwestern last weekend.

The wait is over. The Chicago Blackhawks are back on the ice tonight as they open up their 2011-12 regular season against the Dallas Stars at the American Airlines Center. On Thursday, head coach Joel Quenneville ruled out forwards Dave Bolland and Ben Smith the opener, so the 'Hawks recalled center Brandon Pirri from AHL affiliate Rockford.

Bolland has missed the past six days with an upper-body injury and Smith has practiced the last three days, but is still recovering from a concussion he suffered last week. Chicago hosts Dallas in the backend of a home-and-home set on Saturday at the United Center.

The NHL raised the curtain on the 2011-12 regular season last night, but the Blues don't begin until tomorrow. St. Louis will kick off its season tomorrow night at home against the Nashville Predators. The team will hold a pre-game rally outside Scottrade Center at 4 p.m. Faceoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. The Blues will also host the Calgary Flames on Monday afternoon.

The Blues are reportedly close to finding a new owner. Dave Checketts, who heads the group which currently owns the franchise, has signed a letter of intent with businessman Matthew Hulsizer. However, another source indicated that the deal is simply a verbal one, which carries no weight. If Hulsizer were to purchase the club, Checketts will likely remain in some position of power.

The season is over for Rams wide out Danny Amendola. He has a torn triceps muscle in his left arm and will require season-ending surgery. Amendola was injured in the Week One loss to the Eagles but had hoped to return wearing a brace. The Rams also lost cornerback Bradley Fletcher to a season-ending knee injury in practice this week. The Rams have a bye Sunday.

The bright lights of "Monday Night Football" shine on Ford Field in Week Five as the undefeated Detroit Lions host the Chicago Bears in an NFC North tilt. The Bears snapped a two-game slide with a 34-29 home win over Carolina last weekend. Matt Forte rushed for a career-high 205 yards and Devin Hester set an NFL record with his 11th punt return to the house to help Chicago even its record at 2-and-2.

The Bears won both meetings against the Lions last season, albeit, amid a lot of controversy. In last year's season opener, a last-second Calvin Johnson touchdown was nullified to give the Bears a 19-14 win. Overall, Chicago has won six straight games against the Lions.

The Chicago White Sox have found their replacement for Ozzie Guillen. The Sox have named two-time All-Star third baseman Robin Ventura as their new manager. The 44-year-old spent the first 10 seasons of his 16-year big league career with Chicago.

The six-time Gold Glove winner also played for the Mets, Yankees and Dodgers. He takes over for Guillen, who was released from his contract during the final week of the season to become manager of the Florida Marlins. The White Sox finished third in the AL Central this season at 79-and-83, 16 games out of first

If the Cardinals beat the Phillies tonight, they will move on to the National League Championship Series against either Milwaukee or Arizona. The Brewers and Diamondbacks play Game Five of their NLDS tonight in Milwaukee. The D'backs have won the last two games to square that series. If the Cards advance, they'll be on the road against either team starting Sunday.

It's do-or-die for the Cardinals and Phillies tonight as they play Game Five of their National League Division Series at Citizens Bank Park. The Cards squared the series at two games each with a 5-3 home win on Wednesday. Third baseman David Freese had a home run and four RBI for St. Louis. Chris Carpenter opposes Philadelphia's Roy Halladay tonight.

It's do-or-die for the Cardinals and Phillies tonight as they play Game Five of their National League Division Series at Citizens Bank Park. The Cards squared the series at two games each with a 5-3 home win on Wednesday. Third baseman David Freese had a home run and four RBI for St. Louis. Chris Carpenter opposes Philadelphia's Roy Halladay tonight.

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will hold a Youth Deer Hunt at Lake Shelbyville this weekend on October 8th and 9th. The hunt will be conducted in portions of recreation areas previously closed for the season. As a safety precaution, Lone Point Campground, excluding the boat ramp, and all of Wilborn Creek, Opossum Creek and Whitley Creek Recreation Areas will be closed to vehicle and pedestrian traffic from 2:00 pm October 7th until 7:00 pm October 9th.

Those closings do include the boat ramps located within Opossum Creek, Wilborn Creek and Whitley Creek Recreation Areas. Those boat ramps remaining open during this weekend include Dam West, Lone Point, Lithia Springs and Bo Wood Recreation Areas, Wolf Creek and Eagle Creek State Parks as well as all secondary ramps.

For more information about these closings and any other questions that you might have, you can contact the Lake Shelbyville Environmental Stewardship Department at 774-3951, ext. 4.

The Miller Media Group, owner of 4 on-line daily newspapers in central and northwest Illinois, announced on Monday a partnership with the Metro East’s leading on-line daily newspaper, riverbender.com, for a new auto mall section on all 5 web sites.

Auto dealers in the Miller Media Group’s service areas—Taylorville, Kewanee, the Quad Cities and Clinton—can now advertise their inventory on the “autos” section of Miller’s 4 on-line daily newspapers, and that inventory will also appear in the “autos” section of the riverbender.com web site.

Miller Media Group president Randal J. Miller said the partnership will dramatically increase the number of exposures for car dealers that advertise on his group’s 4 on-line daily newspapers’ “autos” section, because readers to riverbender.com in the Metro East area, will also have access to those dealers’ inventory as well.

The Miller Media Group operates 8 radio stations in central and northwest Illinois, and are building or buying 2 additional signals in central Illinois this month.

Early Wednesday morning, the Taylorville Police Department was dispatched to 716 East Poplar Street in reference to a complaint of loud music. Subsequent to investigation, 19-year-old Jacob A. Campbell of Taylorville, 20-year-old Sorsha A. Taylor of Taylorville, 18-year-old Alexander B. Shanks of Taylorville, and a female juvenile of Stonington, were arrested for illegal possession and consumption of alcohol by a minor.

While out on patrol Tuesday night, the Taylorville Police Department stopped a vehicle on south Spresser Street at the corner of Route 48. Upon running the license plate, the report showed police that the registered owner of the car, 30-year-old Eric T. Coleman of Taylorville, had a warrant out for his arrest in Shelby County.

The driver of the vehicle was identified as Coleman and he was placed under arrest and transported to the Christian County Correctional Center.

The Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest is less than 2 weeks away, and the organizing committee met Monday night at the Chamber office on the 2nd floor of the U-S Bank building to finalize what will happen on the square October 15th and 16th.

Committee co-chair Patty Hornbuckle told Regional Radio News that there will be something for every member of the family at this year's event.

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2 full days of entertainment on the Chillifest stage, a 5-K run and walk, 2 days of International Chilli Society chilli judging, and much more await those attending the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest October 15th and 16th on the square. Get more information on the event on the web at chillifest-dot-info; that's chillifest with 2-L's.

In this week’s crop report, temperatures have been running below normal around the listening area with even some patchy frost developing in some areas. USDA Illinois Chief Crop Statistician Brad Schwab has more.

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Listen each week to the crop report on Newstalk 97.3 WTIM and online at taylorvilledailynews.com throughout the harvest season.

At Monday night’s Taylorville City Council Meeting, Alderman Earl Walters had a motion on the floor to award a bid for the Spresser Street Overlay Construction Project, which is a project that is a continuation of ongoing road work along Spresser. This part of the project will install sewers and eventually asphalting on Spresser Street between West Avenue and Cheney Street. Alderman Walters told Regional Radio News the specifics of the project.

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According to Alderman Walters, the start date of the construction project will be in the middle of October and should last until the end of the month.

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The bid for the asphalting portion of the project came in right around the $60,000 mark and Alderman Walters was very surprised at how low the bid actually was.

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The motion was passed by members of the Taylorville City Council. For those that would like to attend future Taylorville City Council Meetings, the meetings are held every first and third Monday and are held at the municipal building in Taylorville.

The Touchstone Energy Balloon Fest is set to take off this coming weekend in Shelbyville, as the event is in conjunction with Scarecrow Daze. Event coordinator Kevin Bernson says that the first night you can view the balloons taking off is Friday night and the best viewing spot is in Forest Park.

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The fun doesn’t stop on Friday for Balloon Fest. Bernson told Regional Radio News that the pilots of the balloons will also be lifting off Saturday, with a task for the pilots to complete, as well as on Sunday.

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Bernson also says that late Saturday afternoon into the evening, there will be food served and the opportunity for people to take a ride in the balloons for just $15.

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The Shelbyville Balloon Fest is this weekend, October 7th, 8th, and 9th beginning at 5:00 on Friday, with the best viewing area being in Forest Park in Shelbyville. For more information on Balloon Fest, you can visit their website at lakeshelbyville.com or you can call 774-3986.

Chicago Cubs television analyst Bob Brenly says it may be time to let third baseman Aramis Ramirez go. Brenly said on a Wednesday radio show that Ramirez is a "numbers gatherer," but is a liability defensively and is going to demand a large contract on the verge of free agency.

Ramirez has played eight and a half seasons with the Cubs and led them with 93 RBI to go along with 26 homers and a .306 batting average this past season. He decided he would opt out of the $16-million option year, if it was picked up by the Cubs, and test free agency. He is in the final year of a five-year, $75-million contract.

The Chicago Blackhawks may be without a pair of key forwards in tomorrow night's regular season opener against the Dallas Stars. Head coach Joel Quenneville said on Wednesday that both players are questionable, while Viktor Stalberg is on the mend.

Bolland has missed the past five days with an upper-body injury and Smith has practiced the last two days, but is still recovering from a concussion he suffered last week. If either, or both players can't go, Quenneville said the team would recall a forward or two from AHL Rockford.

The Blues will open the regular season at home against the Predators on Saturday. The team will hold a pregame rally outside the Scottrade Center at 4:00 p.m. The season-opening affair will begin at 7:00 p.m. While the Blues have to wait until Saturday, the curtain raises on the NHL regular season with three games on the schedule tonight.

Chicago businessman Matthew Hulsizer has agreed to buy the majority stake of the St. Louis Blues from Dave Checketts. The price tag is reported at $190-million. There are reports saying the two have a verbal agreement but have yet to put anything on paper. Calgary businessman Max Chambers had his $167-million offer rejected. The franchise has been on the market since March.

The Chicago Cubs are apparently moving forward with their pursuit of Red Sox GM Theo Epstein. The Cubs have filed paperwork seeking permission to speak to Epstein about their front office vacancy. Epstein is believed to be at the top of the Cubs' wish list, but is still under contract with Boston, which could seek compensation to let him go to Chicago.

The Rams are on a bye, but have still been getting their work in this week as they look to correct mistakes that have led to an 0-and-4 start. Running back Steven Jackson says he's frustrated by the team's start and addressed the team, but did not divulge what was said. Word around the Rams locker room is that teammates responded well to hearing Jackson speak out.

Chicago Bears punt/kick returner Devin Hester has been named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. Hester set an NFL record with his 11th punt return for a touchdown in the Bears win against the Carolina Panthers in Week Four. Hester's 69-yard touchdown punt return was his 11th in 182 career punt returns, breaking a tie with Eric Metcalf for the league record. Hester won the award for the 10th time, the most ever by a return specialist. The Bears play at Detroit on Monday Night Football in Week Five.

With the National League Division Series all square at two games apiece, the Cardinals and Phillies now head back to Philadelphia for a deciding Game Five. The Phils host the series-decider tomorrow night at Citizens Bank Park. Chris Carpenter will oppose Roy Halladay. Carp gave up four runs in three innings in a no-decision in Game Two as St. Louis rallied for a 5-4 win.

David Freese drove in four runs as the Cardinals avoided elimination with a 5-3 win over the Phillies in Game Four of their National League Division Series. Freese smacked a go-ahead two-run double in the fourth, and added a two-run homer in the sixth for St. Louis, which evened the best-of-five set at two games apiece with the victory.

Edwin Jackson tossed six innings of two-run ball for the win. Jason Motte closed things out to notch his second save. Chase Utley and Hunter Pence plated a run apiece in the first for the Phillies. Roy Oswalt allowed all five runs in six innings to take the loss.

At Monday Night’s Taylorville City Council Meeting, an amendment was voted on and passed to begin regulating dogs and cats within the city’s corporate limits. Alderman Bruce Jones believes that this amendment to the current ordinance to be in the best interest of the people of Taylorville.

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By adopting this amendment to the City Ordinance, Alderman Jones says that this change will benefit the entire community.

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Mayor Greg Brotherton made it clear that this amendment would not prohibit anyone from owning multiple dogs and cats.

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The Taylorville City Council meets every first and third Monday of the month in the city council chambers beginning at 7:00 p.m.

The Christian County Sheriff’s Office responded to a vehicle rollover on Monday afternoon. 73-year-old Bernard L. Dozier, of Springfield, was traveling southbound on Township Road 2000 East, 1-tenth of a mile south of Township Road 500 North.

Dozier advised police that an unknown vehicle was traveling north on Township Road 2000 East and as Dozier edged over to the west side of the roadway, his back tires slid off into the ditch turning his truck over onto the driver’s side. The truck traveled over twenty-five feet into the ditch before sliding another ten feet and finally coming to rest. Cozier was taken to Pana Community Hospital with serious injuries.

The Taylorville Police Department responded to 102 East Vine Street in Taylorville Monday night as police located 44-year-old Melissa J. Patrick behind the trash container huffing an air duster. Patrick was arrested, transported to the Taylorville Police Department, processed, and released on a notice to appear.

A half-hour later, Taylorville Police received another call about Patrick and responded to the same location on Vine Street. Police caught Patrick back behind the apartments huffing an air duster again. She was arrested, transported back to the Police Department, processed, and lodged in the Christian County Sheriff’s Office in lieu of bond.

WTIM Newstalk 97.3 in Taylorville held its 6th annual telethon to raise money for the United Way of Christian County on Tuesday from 9 to 11 in the morning.

Terrie France, D.J. Kennedy and Pam Peabody, as well as United Way of Christian County executive director Joni Beyers, co-hosted the 2-hour telethon.

Thanks to the generosity of WTIM listeners from across Central Illinois, $1830 was raised to benefit the 23 member agencies that serve over 10,000 people in Christian County. Many of the donors that called in pledges were first-time donors, which pleased United Way officials.

WTIM and the United Way thank all the businesses and individuals that called in pledges during the 2-hour event. The United Way’s campaign recently kicked off, with this year’s goal being $140,000.

For more information on the United Way of Christian County, click on their icon at taylorvilledailynews.com

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club held their monthly business meeting at their weekly luncheon on Tuesday at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital auditorium.

Kiwanis committee chairs gave updates on what their particular committee is doing to benefit children and youth in the local community.

It was announced that last weekend’s Kiwanis Peanut Days fund-raiser saw over 4-thousand dollars in cash donations, plus a host of business donations. Final numbers are not known yet, but Peanut Days chairperson Dan Sneed expects the final net number to exceed last year’s 59-hundred dollars. The Taylorville Kiwanis Club thanks all those who contributed to last weekend’s Kiwanis fund raiser.

Allen Miller, regional manager for Aaron’s in Taylorville and Litchfield, was inducted as the club’s newest member. It was also announced that Doctor Gregg Fuerstenau has resigned from the club due to job and personal obligations.

The Kiwanis Club’s annual car seat safety check will take place October 29th, with more information on times and location forthcoming.

And the Taylorville Kiwanis High School Key Club has been busy, too. They provided some 28 man-hours at last weekend’s Kiwanis Peanut Days, had over 50 members attend a recent Key Club cookout, and will be trick or treating for UNICEF over the Halloween holiday.

The Taylorville Kiwanis Club is part of a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time. Weekly meetings of the Kiwanis Club are held Tuesdays at noon at the Taylorville Memorial Hospital Auditorium.

The Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest is less than 2 weeks away, and the organizing committee met Monday night at the Chamber office on the 2nd floor of the U-S Bank building to finalize what will happen on the square October 15th and 16th.

Committee co-chair Patty Hornbuckle told Regional Radio News that she's hopeful that Mother Nature will again cooperate and bring the event great weather.

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2 full days of entertainment on the Chillifest stage, a 5-K run and walk, 2 days of International Chilli Society chilli judging, and much more await those attending the Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest October 15th and 16th on the square. Get more information on the event on the web at chillifest-dot-info; that's chillifest with 2-L's.

AGCO, the third largest farm machinery manufacturer in the world, is giving themselves a leg up in the agriculture sector with their purchase of Assumption, Illinois-based GSI Holdings. Greg Peterson, AGCO's Director of Investor Relations, says there were a lot of reasons for the move.

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The buyout will give AGCO a better presence in the grain storage and protein processing markets. Peterson says there are no immediate plans to make employment or business model changes at GSI.

The Christian County Mobile Pantry is taking place this Saturday, October 8, in the United Methodist Church Parking Lot, on the corner of Walnut & East Market Streets. Kaleigh Friend, Public Relations Manager with the Central Illinois Foodbank, says that this is a great opportunity to help those that are in need.

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According to Friend, the Mobile Food Pantry can be expected to help anywhere between 100 and 200 families.

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Friend says that anyone in need can come out to the food pantry. You are requested to bring an empty box or laundry basket with you to fill up.

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People usually start lining up a couple of hours before the start of the event and Friend says that the Mobile Food Pantry will stay until all of the food has been distributed.

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The Christian County Mobile Pantry is this Saturday, October 8 rain or shine beginning at 10am in the United Methodist Church Parking Lot, on the corner of Walnut & East Market Streets in Taylorville.

The Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest is set to begin a week from Saturday on October 15 and 16. Fred Ronnow, President and CEO of the Chamber, is very excited for this year’s Chillifest as he is every year because of the number of phone calls that his department has received.

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Ronnow discussed some of the events planned for Saturday the 15th, include members of the military being on hand as well as a portable rock wall for everyone to enjoy.

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What also is a highlight among the Chillifest weekend is the Tractor Junket put on by Larry Barry. Ronnow says that the event is open to everyone who would like to drive their antique tractor around Taylorville and Christian County. The event is free to participate and the forms are available at the Chamber Office.

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Of course, the entire weekend isn’t called Chillifest for nothing. Ronnow says judges are still needed to judge three different categories of chili: the green chili, red chili, and salsa.

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The Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce Chillifest is next weekend, October 15th and 16th on the Taylorville Square. For more information about Chillifest, you can visit their web site: chillifest-dot-info, that’s Chillifest with 2-L’s, or you can call the Chamber of Commerce at 824-4919.

Fredy Montero and Osvaldo Alonso powered Seattle Sounders FC to its third straight U.S. Open Cup title, defeating the Chicago Fire 2-0 at CenturyLink Field on Tuesday.

Chicago missed the opportunity to win its fifth Open Cup title, which would have tied the club with Bethlehem Steel and Maccabi Los Angeles for the most in the history of the competition. The Fire are still most successful Major League Soccer team in Open Cup history with four titles to their name.

The idea of canceling regular-season games is becoming a very real possibility after collective bargaining talks between the NBA owners and players stalled on Tuesday. The owners and players began the talks on Tuesday afternoon knowing if they failed to produce significant results, there may not be enough time left to avoid the cancellation of regular-season contests.

Union president and current Los Angeles Lakers guard Derek Fisher says the two sides are still very far apart on an agreement. The players received 57-percent of basketball-related income in the last year of the expired CBA and made a new proposal of 53-percent on Tuesday. The league countered with 47-percent, which ultimately ended the meetings.

Last month, the league postponed training camps and canceled 43 preseason games scheduled between October 9th and 15th. The regular season is scheduled to begin November 1st as long as there is a new collective bargaining agreement in place, which seems very unlikely. The NBA locked out its players July 1st after the most recent labor deal between the sides expired.

The Chicago Blackhawks have given general manager Stan Bowman a three-year contract extension through the 2015-16 season. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Bowman is entering his 11th season with the Blackhawks and his third as the head of hockey operations.

He was originally named general manager on July 14th, 2009 and the team went on to capture the Stanley Cup title in the spring of 2010. The Blackhawks have a regular-season record of 99-51-and-17 during Bowman's tenure and a 19-and-10 playoff mark. At age 38, Bowman is the youngest general manager in the NHL.

It's still uncertain when Rams wide receiver Danny Amendola might return to action. Last year's leading pass catcher had hoped to return for the team's October 16th game against the Packers, but is getting a second opinion on his dislocated elbow.

He wore a brace and did some practice work last week, but head coach Steve Spagnuolo says surgery remains a possibility.

The Rams enjoy a much-needed bye this week as they try to regroup following an ugly 0-and-4 start to the season. The Rams' latest setback came at the hands of the Redskins with a 17-10 defeat Sunday at the Edward Jones Dome.

The Chicago Cubs have made their first move in trying to replace former general manager Jim Hendry. The Northsiders asked the Boston Red Sox for permission to talk with their general manager Theo Epstein on Tuesday.

Meetings to discuss the Cubs' request took place at Fenway Park yesterday. Epstein is still under contract with the Red Sox, which means the club can refuse the request, or allow it with the condition they receive some sort of compensation in return. Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts fired Hendry during this past season.

Ben Francisco's pinch-hit, three-run homer in the top of the seventh inning proved to be the difference as the Phillies took command of their National League Division Series with a 3-2 win over the Cardinals in Game Three on Tuesday evening. David Freese and Yadier Molina each knocked in a run for St. Louis, which is down 2-1 in the series.

Jaime Garcia allowed six hits and gave up the big home run through seven innings of duty to absorb the loss. The Cards outhit the Phils, 12-7, in defeat. The series stays at Busch Stadium for Game Four tonight. Edwin Jackson is slated to oppose Roy Oswalt.

Lincoln Land Community College will offer new “Getting Started” information sessions to assist future students and families with the admissions process at LLCC. Upcoming sessions are scheduled for October 13 at 2 p.m. as well as October 24, November 10 and 29, and December 13 at 1:30 p.m. in the R.H. Stephens Room of Menard Hall.

The Getting Started information sessions, led by Recruitment Coordinator Terri Hinrichs, provides a brief overview of LLCC, a step-by-step guide to the required admission steps at the college, and a student-led general tour of LLCC’s campus.

Reservations for the sessions are required and may be made online at llcc.edu or by calling 786.2218.

The Christian County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene of a rollover Friday afternoon. Kenzie R. Reber, 20 of Taylorville, was traveling east on 1900 North Road about a ¼ mile west of 1000 East Road where she drove into loose gravel and lost control of her car.

Her vehicle ran off the roadway before overturning one time and coming to a rest in the roadway. Reber reported no injuries from the rollover.

The Christian County Sheriff’s Office was called to the scene where 32-year-old Heather A. Smith of Stonington was traveling westbound on County Highway 8, just past Mill Street, when four deer ran into the roadway.

Smith avoided the first three deer, but was unable to avoid striking the fourth. She swerved as she tried to avoid hitting the deer and rubbed against the guardrail causing damage to the right side of her vehicle. Smith reported no injuries.

The Taylorville Police Department responded to a two vehicle crash late Friday Afternoon. Judy F. Geons, 50 of Taylorville, was stopped at the traffic light on Cherokee Street, traveling south. According to Geons, 18-year-old Haiden I. Fox was turning left onto Cherokee when he struck the front driver’s side of Geons vehicle.

Fox advised police that he did not realize he was turning that closely. 26-year-old Tyler D. Whitenburg and an underage male were traveling in the backseat of Geons’ car and complained of neck and back pain after the accident. They were transported to the Taylorville Memorial Hospital for observation.

While out on patrol, the Taylorville Police Department stopped a vehicle in the parking lot of Circle K Gas Station. While making contact and speaking with the driver of the vehicle, police noticed 20-year-old Brandon J. Emery of Taylorville sitting in the backseat.

Police verified that a warrant was out for Emery’s arrest. He was placed into custody and was transported to the Christian County Correctional Center in lieu of bond.

On Friday afternoon, Matt Hutchinson, the assistant principal at Taylorville High School, notified Taylorville Police that he had a student in possession of drug paraphernalia.

When police arrived, they were advised that the 16-year-old juvenile male was searched and a one hitter pipe was located in his wallet. The juvenile was arrested and transported to the police department, where he was processed and released to his mother.

Late Friday night, Taylorville Police were dispatched to 108 East Vine Street in reference to a female that was huffing dust remover in the bathroom. Upon arrival, police spoke with William Sphar where he notified police that 44-year-old Melissa Patrick of Nokomis was huffing dust remover in the bathroom.

Patrick was placed into custody and transported to the Taylorville Police Department where she was processed and released on a notice to appear.

The Taylorville Police were dispatched early Saturday Morning to 1015 West England in reference to a loud party. It was the second time that night that police were dispatched to that address in reference to the noise.

Subsequent to the investigation, 27-year-old Brandt A. Ehrhardt was issued a local ordinance violation and arrested on two warrants.

While out on patrol early Sunday Morning, the Taylorville Police Department observed a vehicle traveling north on Cherokee Street that did not have a working license plate light. Police stopped the vehicle at the corner of Cherokee and Esther Streets.

During the course of the stop, police discovered that the driver, 20-year-old Amanda J. Osborn, had been drinking alcohol. She was placed under arrest and transported to the Taylorville Police Department. She was processed and released on a notice to appear.

On Wednesday, youth in Christian County 4-H will join employees from the Taylorville Wal-Mart to participate in the fourth annual 4-H National Youth Science Day. This annual event seeks to spark an early youth interest in science and to reclaim the nation’s position of leadership in scientific exploration. Jodi Heberling is the Christian County 4-H Program Coordinator who says this year’s theme is Wired for Wind: The 2011 National Science Experiment.

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Heberling will have demonstrations beginning at 3:30 pm in the produce section of Wal-Mart to give students an idea of what science is all about.

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Renewable energy is something that everybody should be concerned with and these demonstrations will show students as well as adults the values of what renewable energy has to offer.

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For more information on the Christian County 4-H National Youth Science Day, you can contact Jodi Heberling at 287-7246. You can also attend the National Youth Science Day at the Taylorville Wal-Mart on Wednesday from 3:30 until 5:00 with demonstrations taking place on the ½ hour intervals.

As part of its continuing network investment to support growing demand for advanced mobile devices and applications, AT&T announced on Monday the activation of a new mobile broadband cell site in Taylorville that will enhance coverage for area residents and businesses. With the mobile broadband expansion, AT&T customers can surf the Web, download files faster, and enjoy the very latest interactive mobile applications.

The new cell site, which the location of the cell site has not yet been released, is one part of AT&T’s ongoing efforts to drive investment and innovation to deliver the nation’s best, most advanced mobile broadband experience for customers. For more information about AT&T’s coverage in Taylorville or anywhere in the United States, consumers can visit att.com.

Chicago Fire midfielder Marco Pappa was named the Major League Soccer Player of the Week for Week 29 of the MLS season on Monday. Pappa netted a hat trick in Chicago's 3-0 win over Real Salt Lake in midweek before also contributing to a 1-1 draw with the Houston Dynamo over the weekend.

Those results have left Chicago three points adrift in the race for a playoff spot, while giving the Guatemalan eight goals on the season, which ranks second on the team. Chicago has gone 5-1-and-1 in its last seven games to climb up the table in the Eastern Conference, while Pappa becomes the first Fire player this season to be named Player of the Week.

NBA owners and players talked again on Monday, mostly to set up a bigger meeting for today as the league's labor dispute moved into its fourth month. The latest round of meetings came on the day training camps were originally scheduled to open for the 2011-12 season and included "constructive" talks on how to come to an agreement. Meetings scheduled for Tuesday will reportedly include the NBA's full labor relations committee, about 10 owners, and a large group of players.

On Monday, Celtics forward Paul Pierce and union president Derek Fisher of the Lakers were on hand for the talks. Players and owners will meet separately before getting together for the larger meeting this afternoon that will go a long way in determining if regular season games need to be canceled.

Last month, the league postponed training camps and canceled 43 preseason games scheduled between October 9th and 15th. The regular season is scheduled to begin November 1st as long as there is a new collective bargaining agreement in place. The NBA locked out its players July 1st after the most recent labor deal between the sides expired.

Illinois head coach Ron Zook has suspended linebacker Jonathan Brown one game after the sophomore appeared to intentionally knee a Northwestern player in the groin during this past Saturday's game. Brown is tied for second on the Illini defense with 30 tackles, including six for loss and two sacks.

He was credited with a team-high 11 tackles during the 38-35 win over Northwestern, but was also penalized twice, once for roughing the passer and another for unsportsmanlike conduct when he delivered the cheap shot to a Northwestern lineman. Brown will sit out the 16th-ranked Illini's game this coming Saturday at Indiana.

Ray Emery has won the backup goaltending job in Chicago, as the Blackhawks signed him to a one-year contract on Monday. The 29-year-old Emery played in 10 games with the Anaheim Ducks last season, recording a 7-2-and-0 mark and 2.28 Goals-Against-Average. Emery is a veteran of 173 career regular-season games over parts of seven NHL seasons with the Ottawa Senators, Philadelphia Flyers and Ducks and owns a 94-53-and-0 record with a 2.67 GAA.

Chicago assigned goaltender Alexander Salak to the American Hockey League's Rockford IceHogs. Salak was acquired by Chicago, along with forward Michael Frolik, in a trade with the Florida Panthers on February 9th. Chicago opens the 2011-12 season on Friday at Dallas.

Chicago Bears right guard Chris Spencer suffered a broken hand in Sunday's win over the Carolina Panthers. Spencer sustained the injury late in the first quarter, and was replaced by Lance Louis, but he returned to play the entire second half.

Chicago rushed for 224 yards on Sunday, the most by the Bears since September 25th, 1988 when they had 242 yards in a 24-6 road win over the Packers. Bears head coach Lovie Smith said on Monday he hoped Spencer will be healed enough to return with the extra off day since the Bears play the 4-and-0 Lions in Week Five on Monday Night Football.

All even at one, the Cardinals host the Phillies tonight in Game Three of their National League Division Series at Busch Stadium. Jaime Garcia takes the ball for St. Louis, while Philadelphia counters with Cole Hamels. The Cardinals overcame a 4-0 deficit to win Sunday's Game Two 5-4 in Philadelphia.

Gilly’s Barnstormin’ B-B-Q, a professional barbecue team here in Taylorville, has qualified to compete in the 23rd Annual Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue in Lynchburg, Tennessee. Competitors often refer to this competition as the most prestigious barbecue competition in the world.

Top prize for the winners, aside from the title of Champion and holding bragging rights for a year, includes more than $30,000 in cash and prizes.

The field consists of 72 champion teams from across the United States and 18 countries around the world, representing Austria, Belgium, Canada, England, Germany, Norway, Netherlands, Poland, Puerto Rico and Switzerland. The event is scheduled for Saturday, October 22nd from 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. in Lynchburg, Tennessee.

“A Day at the Lake” is this year’s theme for Shelbyville’s annual Scarecrow Daze, set for this coming weekend. Tad Mayhall, of the Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce, always looks forward to this time of year and lets us know what’s on tap for the annual festival.

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Scarecrow Daze begins this Friday, October 7th with the Knights of Columbus Fish Fry Dinner and the Flu Shot Clinic – both events starting at 4:30. For a complete list of activities and events during Scarecrow Daze, you can contact the Shelbyville Chamber of Commerce at 774-2221 or visit them online at shelbyvillechamberofcommerce.com.

The Greater Taylorville Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for another business after hours to be held on Wednesday, October 19th at Hickory Estates in Taylorville. Fred Ronnow, who is the President and CEO of the Chamber, is looking forward to the event.

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The business after hours is Wednesday, October 19th from 4:30 to 6:30 pm at Hickory Estates. They are located at 1091 East 1500 North Road in Taylorville. If you are not a Chamber member and would like to attend this event, please contact the Taylorville Chamber of Commerce at 824-4919.

WTIM Newstalk 97.3 in Taylorville will hold its 6th annual telethon to benefit the United Way of Christian County on Tuesday, from 9 to 11am.

WTIM morning show host Matt McLemore, and United Way executive director Joni Beyers, will co-host the two-hour telethon. Beyers says every dollar raised will help all of the agencies involved.

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Listeners will be asked to contribute to help the United Way support 22 local agencies continuing to help over 10,000 Christian County residents. No calls will be taken on-the-air, but those pledging toward the United Way campaign will be acknowledged.

For more information on the United Way of Christian County campaign, contact Joni Beyers at 824-8404.

Michal Neuvirth made 28 saves to lead the Capitals in a 4-1 victory over the Blackhawks in their preseason finale. Mike Green had a goal and assist for Washington. Brooks Laich, Jay Beagle and Mathieu Perreault also lit the lamp for the Capitals.

Corey Crawford allowed three goals on 35 shots in the loss, while Marian Hossa had Chicago's lone goal. The Blackhawks start the season Friday at Dallas. Chicago finishes the preseason slate at 2-4-and-1.

The St. Louis Blues dropped their preseason finale on Saturday night to the Dallas Stars, 4-0. The Blues wrapped up the warm up schedule with a 5-and-3 record. The regular season opener is this Saturday night when the Blues welcome the Nashville Predators to town.

Quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase bowled his way into the end zone with 13 seconds remaining, sending Illinois to a 38-35 win over Northwestern on Saturday afternoon in the Big Ten opener for both scores. Scheelhaase finished with a career-high 391 yards, three touchdowns and one pick as the Illini move up six slots to number-16 in the USA Today Football Poll with a 5-and-0 mark.

A.J Jenkins also had a career day for the Fighting Illini catching 12 passes for 268 yards and three scores. Wildcats quarterback Dan Persa played in his first game since last November when he suffered a ruptured Achille's tendon, throwing for 123 yards and a career-high four touchdowns as Northwestern falls to 2-and-2.

Bears kick returner Devin Hester set an NFL record for most punts returned for touchdowns in the Bears' 34-29 victory over the Carolina Panthers. Hester returned a Jason Baker punt 69 yards for a score in the second quarter of Sunday's contest, giving him 11 such returns for scores.

It snapped the previous record of 10, held by Eric Metcalf. Hester also holds the record for combined touchdowns on kick returns with 15.

Ryan Torain rushed for 135 yards and a score as the Redskins held off the Rams 17-10 at the Edward Jones Dome. Sam Bradford finished 20-of-43 for 164 yards and a score for St. Louis, which remains winless at 0-and-4.

Steven Jackson had 17 carries for just 45 yards, but did have the Rams' lone touchdown with a 15-yard reception in the fourth quarter. Bradford was sacked seven times for St. Louis in the setback. The Rams head into the bye week and will travel to face the Green Bay Packers on October 16th.

Matt Forte rushed for a career-high 205 yards and a touchdown as the Bears were able to hold off the pesky Panthers, 34-29. Jay Cutler didn't do much, completing nine passes for 107 yards and an interception as Chicago improved 2-and-2. Marion Barber also scored once on the ground, while Devin Hester returned a 69-yard punt to the house. Hester's runback gave him an NFL record eleven career punt return TDs.

Cam Newton threw for 374 yards, a TD, and a pick, which was returned for a touchdown. Newton added two TD's on the ground. Steve Smith caught eight balls for 181 yards, but Greg Olsen recorded the touchdown grab against his former team. Carolina fell to 1-and-3. The Bears head to Detroit next week to meet the Lions on Monday Night Football.

Major League Baseball has announced the start times for Game Three and Game Four of the National League Division Series between the Cardinals and Phillies. Tomorrow's Game Three will start at 4 p.m. at Busch Stadium.

On Wednesday, the Cards and Phils will play Game Four if necessary at 5 p.m. but the game would be moved to 7 p.m. if it is the only game being played that day. If a Game Five is needed in the series, it would take place on Friday at 7:30 p.m. in Philadelphia.

St. Louis overcame a 4-0 deficit against Cliff Lee to carve out a 5-4 win over the Phillies and even their NLDS, 1-1. Ryan Theriot, Jon Jay and Rafael Furcal each had an RBI during a three-run fourth that closed the gap to one. Jon Jay's RBI single evened the score in the sixth, and Albert Pujols drove in Allen Craig an inning later to claim the lead.

Chris Carpenter only lasted three innings, allowing four runs and walking three before departing. Octavio Dotel earned the win in relief, while Jason Motte tossed the final inning-and-a-third to end it. Game Three takes place tomorrow night at Busch Stadium.

Ryan Howard hammered a go-ahead three-run homer during a five-run sixth as the Phillies pounded the Cardinals, 11-6, in Game One of their National League Division Series. Raul Ibanez popped a two-run homer in the big inning for the Phils, who grabbed a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five set with the victory. Roy Halladay allowed three runs and only three hits while striking out eight over eight innings to get the win. Halladay retired the last 21 batters he faced. Lance Berkman belted a three-run homer in the first, while Skip Schumaker smacked a two-run double in the ninth for St. Louis. Kyle Lohse allowed six runs, five earned, over five-and-a-third innings to take the loss.

As heard on WMKR, Southeast Missouri rushed for 411 yards as the Redhawks ground out a 37-30 win over Eastern Illinois on Saturday night at Houck Field. SEMO improved to 1-3, 1-1 in the OVC while EIU dropped to 1-4, 0-3 in the OVC.

On Wednesday, October 5th, youth in Christian County 4-H will join employees from the Taylorville Wal-Mart to become scientists for the day during the fourth annual 4-H National Youth Science Day. This annual event seeks to spark an early youth interest in science and future science careers, as well as to reclaim the nation’s position of leadership in scientific exploration.

Millions of young people around the nation will be participating in Wired for Wind: The 2011 National Science Experiment. Here in Christian County, Wired for Wind participants as well as the staff from Wal-Mart will enhance their engineering skills by designing, building and testing two different wind turbine models. 4-H National Youth Science Day takes place every year during National 4-H week.

Governor Pat Quinn announced on Friday that 90 Illinois communities will benefit from more than $677,000 in federal grants to rural fire protection districts and fire departments. The Volunteer Fire Assistance grant program is a federally-funded program that provides matching funds to aid fire departments in the purchase of new equipment as well as training.

The Volunteer Fire Assistance grant program reimburses 50 percent of the recipients’ costs for providing training and acquiring equipment to assist local firefighters. Grant recipients must make the initial financial outlay for the projects before being reimbursed. The grants announced on Friday are supporting more than $1.3 million in local projects.

The 6th annual telethon to benefit the United Way of Christian County takes place this Tuesday morning on WTIM Newstalk 97.3 from 9am to 11am. United Way executive director Joni Beyers and WTIM morning show host Matt McLemore will co-host the two-hour telethon.

Listeners will be asked to contribute to help the United Way support 22 local agencies continuing to help over 10,000 Christian County residents. No calls will be taken over the air, but the names of those who donated will be acknowledged.

For more information on the United Way of Christian County campaign, contact Joni Beyers at 824-8404.

In conjunction with the Shelbyville Scarecrow Daze, Shelby County Lincoln Heritage will be conducting a History In Stone Cemetery Walk in cooperation with the Lake Volunteers Association and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on October 9 at 2:00 p.m. Participants should meet at the Glenwood Cemetery Gate #1 on 308 E. North Street in Shelbyville. Refreshments will be provided and donations are welcome.

During the walk you will hear fascinating stories about the famous people of Shelby County who are buried in the cemetery including Josephine Cochrane, inventor of the dishwasher, Robert Root, Famous Artist, and Anthony Thornton, who debated Abraham Lincoln in 1855.

This is a unique opportunity to learn about the interesting history within the area and also an opportunity to enjoy the great outdoors during the fall season. The History-In-Stone Cemetery Walk is set for October 9th at 2:00 PM at the Glenwood Cemetery Gate in Shelbyville.

The Taylorville Police Department along with the Christian County Prevention Coalition will host an informational luncheon concerning the upcoming compliance checks for tobacco retailers on October 12. Officer Eric Sill from the Secretary of State Police will provide information on identification and how to detect fake id’s. Officer Amanda Olsta of the Taylorville Police Department will provide an overview of the program. The Christian County Health Department will also be present.